If You Had Been There First
by Ian K
Summary: LeeKara AUfic. Kara knew Zak as her cadet trainee, but never got involved with him romantically. What happens when she and Lee meet under those circumstances? Starts off preminiseries story, but story has now moved into timeframe of miniseries and series
1. Chapter 1

**If You Had Been There First**

**By: Ian K.**

**Spoilers: Mini-series, and all episodes aired in U.S. to date.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Galactica. We all know who does. I make no profit from this story.**

**Summary: I once read in an article about the show that Lee and Kara might have been the ones romantically involved if they had met each other first, not Kara meeting Zak first. I decided to explore that idea with this story. Now, Kara knows Zak as her cadet trainee, but is not involved with him romantically. What happens when she and Lee meet? Read on and see. And please review if you feel so inclined.**

**Chapter One:**

Lt. Kara Thrace tallied up the marks on the evaluation form with a sigh of frustration. "He's still frakking up the hard 90's," she said to herself. Zak Adama had been one of her nuggets for a month, learning from her how to fly the machines that were the backbone of the colonial fleet. Others had dropped out, others excelled. Zak Adama did neither. He wasn't bad enough to wash out—yet. But he definitely was not topping any record books, and if didn't pass basic flight, he didn't stand a chance of getting into Viper training.

When she finished the tallies, Kara wrote Zak's score down, with comments about improvements needed. As called for in the regs, she now had to go over the form with him. She was on her way to her office, where she would send for Zak. But on her way to the building that held the instructors' offices, she saw Zak walking and talking with an officer Kara did not recognize.

She decided to intercept them and tell Zak in person to meet her in her office, but as she did so, Kara became more interested in the officer he was talking to. The other man was a Lieutenant, about Kara's age, with short cut brown hair and handsome features. But he also carried himself like a tight-ass, by-the-book kind of guy, ones that usually didn't appreciate Kara's more unorthodox personality. Still, Kara had some lustful thoughts about taking Lt. Tight-Ass and rocking his world.

"Cadet Adama," said Kara, getting the younger man's attention.

Zak came to attention and saluted his instructor. "Yes, Ma'am."

"At ease," she said, quickly getting past the more formal parts of the instructor-cadet relationship. Zak Adama was himself very cute, and Kara knew he had a crush on her. The feeling was mutual, and she had frequent thoughts of doing something about her attraction, but decided against getting involved with one of her nuggets.

"Zak," said Kara. "I'll need to see you in my office ASAP to go over your evals."

"Roger that, Starbuck," said Zak. "Oh, I don't think you've met my brother. Lee, this is Kara Thrace. Starbuck, Lt. Lee Adama, my older brother."

"So you're Starbuck," said Lee, shaking Kara's hand.

"And your Zak's older brother," said Kara. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," said Lee. "My brother says you're a hell of a pilot."

"He says the same thing to me about you," said Kara. "You're call sign's Apollo, right?"

"Correct," said Lee.

Kara had scoffed at the call sign when she first heard about it from Zak. It was an obvious reference to the fact that his father was the great William "Husker" Adama, considered a god-like figure of a fighter pilot in his day. It gave her the idea that Lee was some kind of Daddy's boy.

Kara and Zak excused themselves while the two went to her office to go over the performance evaluation. Lee turned and headed in the other direction. Kara took a glance back at his retreating form. "Nice but," she thought, look at Lee Adama's rear end.

Later that evening, Kara was sitting with three of her fellow flight instructors at the officers' club. They sat around a table playing cards, while drinking ambrosia and putting aside the professional exterior they were expected to maintain for their trainees. The other woman at the table, Lt. Shane "Artemis" Flavia, folded her hand after Kara once again raised the wager. The others, Lt. Nathan "Razor" Boyne and Lt. Cooper "Hawk" Picchi, called Kara's bid.

Kara took a puff of her cigar, then smiled. "Well," she said, with assured victory in her voice. "Its time for me to end this match." She laid her cards on the table. "FULL COLORS! Ha, ha!"

Razor and Hawk threw down their hands with groans, as Kara collected her winnings, as she did a little victory dance in her chair.

"You should have bailed, boys," said Artemis. "You should know that when Starbuck raises the bid with that much confidence she is going to cream you."

"I still can't believe she had full colors," said Hawk. "No one is that lucky."

"Its not luck, baby, its skill," said Kara. "No, its…art. Its…seeing the target and taking it down. Its…"

"Gorgeous," said Artemis, looking towards the door.

The others turned to see what she was looking at. Kara recognized Lee Adama, standing in the doorway of the officer's club. He took a glance around the room, looked at their table, and began walking over.

"Lt. Thrace," said Lee. "Mind if I join you."

Kara looked at Lee for a moment, taken aback by his sudden appearance for some reason. "She doesn't mind" said Artemis, pulling over a chair from another table and putting it next to her.

"Starbuck," said Razor. "New friend?"

"Um, we just met actually," said Kara. "This afternoon. Lee Adama, these are Lts. Flavia, Boyne, and Picchi. Artemis, Razor, Hawk, this is one of my nuggets' older brother, Lee "Apollo" Adama."

"Nice to meet you all," said Lee. "I hope you don't mind me barging in, but my brother hit the rack early, and I had nothing else to do. So I came here, saw you had a card game going, and thought I might join in."

"You are more than welcome," said Artemis.

"Sure," said Hawk. "Fresh meat for the grinder."

They sat and played cards for a while, engaging in conversation between plays. Kara was seeing that her first impression of Lee Adama as some kind of tight-ass Daddy's boy was wrong. He was a much more relaxed in this environment, and could joke around as good as the next person.

One hand came down to just Lee and Kara left in the running. The others had folded, knowing that Kara probably had a winning hand considering how confidently she was bidding. Lee, however, bid right back just as confidently. In the end, Kara came out on top, and Lee quietly put his cards on the table and watched Kara collect her winnings.

"Apollo," said Razor. "Rule number one playing cards with Starbuck, she tends to win a lot as you can see."

"Don't feel so bad, Apollo," said Kara. "Your money will have a nice home in my wallet."

Lee sat back in his chair, a thoughtful expression on his face. In his mind, he was considering the winner's cock-sure demeanor. "Okay, sexy as she is," he thought, "this lady needs some humbling, and I'd love to do it. But I'm just not sure I can beat her at cards." That's when inspiration struck him.

"So," Lee said. "The Darby Queen still challenging the best and brightest pilots in the colonies?"

"You bet," said Hawk. "That obstacle course is still the toughest nut to crack in the Viper training program."

"Starbuck here is our reigning base champion," said Razor.

"Really," said Apollo. "Care to prove that, Starbuck?"

Kara looked up at Lee with surprise. "Do I hear a challenge in that question, Apollo?"

"Well, I'd like an opportunity to win my money back," said Lee. "And I think that despite your reputation at cards and as a pilot…I could out fly you anywhere, anytime."

A chorus of "oohhs" sounded out from the other pilots at the table. Other pilots in the room, overhearing the conversation, walked over to the table, whispering that some visiting fighter jock had just challenged Starbuck to out fly him on the Darby Queen. "Poor idiot," was what most of them were saying.

Kara puffed on her cigar, then crushed it out in the ashtray on the table. "You looking for an ass creaming, or are you just sick in the head?"

"You sound pretty confident, Lieutenant," said Lee. "I'd say too confident. And like I said, I'd like to win back my earnings."

"I don't know," said Kara. "Betting money on a flight competition. Just seems so—boring."

"You chicken?" asked Lee, earning another chorus of oohs, this time from the whole gathered crowd.

Kara smirked. "Hardly," she said. "But if I'm going to out-fly your ass, I want to earn a better trophy than just more money. And if I had my guess, I'd say you don't want the money back as much as you want to kick my ass at something and don't think you can do it at cards. So…I propose an alternative wager."

"I'm listening," said Lee.

"If…no, when I kick your ass," she said. "You will give me your flight wings."

"My wings?" he asked.

"Sure," she said. "Can you think of a better trophy? You can always requisition another pair."

Lee was hesitant for a moment, and his pause gave Kara enormous pleasure. Then, he smiled. "Fine, my wings…against your pants."

A third chorus of "oohs" echoed from the audience.

"Excuse me?" asked Kara.

"Can you think of a better trophy for me when I kick your pretty ass?" asked Lee.

"You just want to see me drop trou, is that it?" asked Kara, a sardonic smirk. "If you're hot for me, you should just say so."

"In your dreams," said Lee. "I just want your pants in my trophy case."

Kara took a drink from her ambrosia, then reached out her hand. "Agreed."

Lee shook it, and the gauntlet was thrown down.

End of Chapter One. Chapter Two coming soon.

Feedback/reviews are always welcomed and looked forward to. Thanks.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes From Chapter One:**

**The Darby Queen Viper course is named after an obstacle course used for training at Fort Benning, Georgia. Its an homage to the U.S. Army course.**

**The names of Kara's three compatriots at the card game—the first names have a special significance. See if you can figure it out.**

**On to the next chapter. Once again, reviews/feedback always welcomed.**

**Chapter Two:**

Later that night, Kara and Shane "Artemis" Flavia were walking towards the officers' quarters on base. The cluster of apartment buildings housed the flight instructors and other training personnel.

"So, think you can beat him, or do you think he might surprise you?" asked Shane.

"Are you doubting my flying ability?" asked Kara.

"Not at all," said Shane. "But this Lee Adama seems to be full of surprises. When he first walked over to the table, I thought he was the model of the prim and proper officer. Then he challenges you to a flight competition on the Darby Queen, and demands your trousers as a trophy if he wins."

"He is full of surprises, I'll give him that," said Kara.

"Yeah, and gorgeous as hell," said Shane. "I wonder what he's like in bed."

"Shane, you have absolutely no shame, do you?" asked Kara.

"No, not when it comes to speculating about spending a night with a man that good looking," said Shane. "I'd bet we'd break the bed in 12 places. Gods, it gets me hot thinking about it. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll ever find that out."

"Why?" asked Kara. "I didn't see a wedding wring on his finger. He's probably unattached."

"Unattached, yes," said Shane. "Interested? I don't think so."

"Shane, you have never had a problem getting hot guys into the sack," said Kara.

"Yeah, but I was sending Lee definite signals all through the game," said Shane. "He barely looked at me the whole time. He was too busy staring at you."

"Probably because I was kicking his ass at cards," said Kara. "He's a good player, probably not used to losing."

"No, Kara," said Shane. "He was definitely flirting with you, all through the game. That challenge of his was just more foreplay. And you, I might add, were doing some flirting of your own."

"I was not," said Kara. "I'll admit, we had some friendly banter going, but that was just being competitive."

"Kara, look at me and tell me that you do not find him the least bit attractive," said Shane.

"I never said that," said Kara. "You'd have to be dead not to notice how good looking he is. But that doesn't mean I was flirting with him."

"Kara, I know you," said Shane. "Admit it. When he challenged you, and made your pants the trophy, you were turned on."

"Please," said Kara. "He's just another guy trying to prove he's better than me."

"We shall see," said Shane. "At any rate, tomorrow is going to be interesting. But I still think you two are going to end up sweating up the sheets at some point."

"Whatever," said Kara, as they walked up to their apartment building. "Look, I've got to get some sleep, so I'll leave you to your little fantasies about my love life. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Starbuck."

After Kara entered her apartment, and got ready for bed, she began to give Shane's words more thought. "Was I flirting with him?" asked Kara. Then, she thought about the idea of "sweating up the sheets" with Lee Adama. She smiled. "Damn, Shane, the thoughts you put in my head. Or is it thinking about Lee putting these thoughts in my head? Frak, this is crazy." Kara turned off the light, lay down under the covers, and tried to go to sleep.

End of Chapter Two. Chapter Three coming soon. As always, reviews/feedback always welcomed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes on Chapters One and Two:**

**For those who guessed that the three pilots, Shane, Nathan, and Cooper, were named after the three main pilot characters from Space Above and Beyond, you are correct. **

**Now, let's see who won the competition. Placing bets, anyone?**

**Chapter Three:**

Lee Adama stepped down from the Viper, and saw the cheering crowd gathering on the tarmac. The look on his face was grim because the crowd wasn't gathering for him. They gathered around another Viper, where Kara Thrace was getting out, a look of triumph on her face. She lit a cigar as she sat in her Viper's seat, and stepped down from the ship with the lit cigar in her mouth.

Lee walked over to Kara's ship and the gathered crowd, the latter filled with people shouting their congratulations to Kara. He was dreading this moment ever since he lost the competition in the air with Starbuck. He almost won, but she pulled a hair raising maneuver that he thought no sane pilot would try, and managed to beat him to the finish.

The crowd parted for Lee Adama, with a few pats on the back and "nice tries" from the pilots. He faced Kara, who held a look of victory on her face and cockiness exuding from her every move.

"Well, Apollo," said Kara. "Here to pay up?"

The crowd got quiet, observing the moment with almost reverent silence. Lee slowly removed his flight wings from his jacket, and held them in his hand for a moment. Kara observed a look of genuine sadness pass over Lee's face, and almost told him to forget about it. For some reason, these wings seemed to mean a lot to him.

But Lee handed them to Kara. "Your prize," he said. "You earned them. That was a hell of a piece of flying. I've never seen anything like it."

Kara reached out her hand, and Lee took it. "Don't feel so bad," said Kara. "You almost kicked my ass out there. I'd fly with you anytime."

"Hey Starbuck," said Artemis. "Drinks at the O club to celebrate your triumph, after you've showered and changed."

"Apollo," said Razor. "You're welcome to join us."

"You bet," said Lee. "First rounds on me."

An hour later, the instructors at the Colonial Fleet's Flight School were lifting their cups in celebration at the Officer's Club. One of their own had been challenged by an upstart visitor, and the former had cleaned his clock. If ever a reason to celebrate, the gathered crowd felt this was definitely a good one.

As Kara accepted the kudos of her peers, she saw Lee Adama sitting alone at the bar, quietly drinking ambrosia. He looked genuinely depressed, a stark contrast to his bravado of the night before. "Gee, I must have busted up his ego pretty good," thought Kara. "He didn't strike me as the sore looser type."

She made her way over to the bar, and ordered a drink. Sitting beside Lee, Kara smirked. "So," she said. "Not feeling like celebrating with the rest of us, huh?"

"I lost, remember," said Lee. "What do I have to celebrate?"

Kara sighed, taking a drink from the glass given to her by the bartender. "I can't believe you are being such a sore looser. You look just like Zak does when he fraks up. You've got the Adama pout."

"I'm not a sore looser," said Lee, smiling at Kara. "You are an amazing pilot, and you earned your victory. I'm just pissed at myself."

"Why?" asked Kara. "Because you lost?" As Lee looked away, Kara let out a thought that was irritating her. "Or is it because you lost to a woman?"

Lee looked at Kara with surprise. "Frak no," said Lee. "Neither of those two, especially the latter."

"Then what is it?" asked Kara.

Lee looked down at her uniform blouse. Kara followed his gaze, then looked up at him with a smirk. "You're seriously trying to gawk at my breasts, aren't you?"

Lee looked away quickly. "No, I wasn't looking at that…them…uh…"

Kara chuckled. "Then what were you looking at?"

She looked down at her uniform, then realized what he was looking at. "Yes, I'm wearing my trophy," she said, fingering the flight wings she won from Lee. "Does it really bother you that much that you lost a pair of wings to me? Don't you have extras?"

"Sure, but I never wear them," said Lee.

"What makes these so special?" asked Kara.

Lee was quiet for a moment, not sure whether he wanted to share his feelings with her. After a few moments of silence, Kara began to get irritated with the closed off Lee Adama. "Fine," said Kara. She took the wings off, and put them on the bar. "Take 'em back."

Before she could step away from the bar, Lee grabbed her arm. "Wait," said Lee. "I'll explain."

Kara stood there and waited, as Lee looked at the wings on the bar. "These wings belonged to my father," said Lee. "They were his first pair."

Kara looked at him in shock. "You…you gambled away your father's wings," she said. "Frak, Lee, that was stupid!"

Lee looked at her pointedly. "No kidding," he said. "I've been kicking myself ever since I saw you win that little sporting match of ours. Now…I've got to find a way to tell him, and to live with having lost something that was so important to me."

Lee turned back to his drink, while Kara looked away at her friends, all drinking and laughing. "Don't worry about it, Kara," said Lee. "It's my frak up, not yours."

Kara looked at the wings, then looked at Lee for a long moment. "Here," she said, pushing the wings over to Lee. "I don't need your father's wings to prove I kicked your ass. Everyone knows. That's enough."

Lee pushed them back to Kara. "No, you keep them, you earned them…"

"I won, remember," she said. "A winner always has the right to refuse the honor she's won. Besides, this was a battle of flying skill, remember? I think I showed who was the better pilot, don't you?"

"Or the luckier pilot," said Lee.

"Don't make me regret giving those wings back, Adama," she said.

Lee smiled, then picked up the wings. "Thanks, Kara," he said. "I…I owe you."

"I guess you do," said Kara. "Don't worry, I'll find a way for you to pay me back."

Kara was about to rejoin the others, when Lee stopped her. "Hey, Kara," said Lee.

"Yeah," she said, turning to face him.

"You know that Zack has to study tomorrow night for his mechanics exam," said Lee.

"Yeah, and it's a bitch of a test as you and I both know," said Kara. "So?"

"Well, tomorrow is my last night here before I have to return to the Columbia," said Lee. "What do you say I buy you dinner tomorrow night?"

Kara looked at him with an incredulous expression. "Dinner?"

"Yeah, a nice restaurant but nothing too fancy," said Lee. "I think the Orion Grille is still open, isn't it?"

"Yeah," said Kara. Her face broke into a grin that started to grow larger in size. "Did you just ask me out on a date?"

Lee turned and looked at her with an expression of a deer caught in headlights. "No, I um…"

"Lee Adama wants to date me!" she said, with a self-assured, but playful tone.

"No, I thought it would be a good way to pay you back for…the wings…the bet," Lee stammered.

"Maybe you were staring at my breasts after all, huh," said Kara, with an even more playful tone. "Think you're going to get to see 'em in the flesh if you feed me first?"

"Kara, all I wanted to do was buy you a meal as a way of saying thank you for the wings, and as a way of clearing my debt with you," said Lee. "But, if you're not interested…"

"Yes," said Kara, quickly replying. "Yes, you can take me out tomorrow night. You have a car?"

"I'll borrow Zak's," said Lee.

"Pick me up at 18:00," said Kara. "Officer's quarters building 9, apartment 421."

Kara turned and walked towards the door of the Officer's Club, apparently deciding not to rejoin the party. As she did, Lee looked at her retreating form, and decided he wanted to play with fire one more time. He was curious about the reaction.

"You know, Starbuck," said Lee, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Good thing you won, because if I had beat you, I don't think you would have ponyed up your prize."

Kara stopped, and turned around, a look of irritation on her face. "You sayin I'd welch on my bet?"

"No," said Lee. "But I'd bet you wouldn't have the guts to drop trou in front of all these people. So how could you have given me my trophy?"

Kara smiled, knowing Lee was daring her, then reached down to open her fly. Kara stripped off her pants one leg at a time, over her shoes, while the crowd watched in shocked silence. She then threw the pants at Artemis.

"You'd loose that bet," she said to Lee. "Artemis, bring those back to me later, huh?"

Lee watched her go out the door in all of her de-pants glory, as the crowd began to laugh and cheer. "Oh, baby," he said quietly to himself. Lee Adama had never been so turned on by a woman as he was in that moment by Kara Thrace.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes:**

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed the story and provided feedback and comments so far. I am so glad the story is being well received. I have written fan fiction for other shows/movies before (Farscape, Babylon 5, Roswell, and Star Wars among them), but this is my first foray into Galactica fan fiction. Originally, this story was going to end after about six or seven chapters, but since it has gotten such a warm reception, I think I am going to expand it further, perhaps going into the time of the war and the series. We'll see how it goes.**

**For now, on to the next chapter.**

**Chapter Four:**

The alarm clock awakened Kara Thrace at 05:30 as usual so she could get up for her morning run. Normally, she was not a morning person, and only got up that early to stay in shape and as a test of her own personal discipline. But this morning, she felt a sense of unusual contentment, and had a smile on her face as bright as Picon's sun. As she felt the area of the bed next to her, she felt only the sheets and the pillow. That in of itself was not unusual, except that the night before, when she fell asleep, she had not done so alone.

Kara had gone out the night before on her "just dinner" date with Lee Adama. They ate at the Orion Grille, a casual place that served decent food in a sort-of "come-as-you-are" environment. Both were dressed in civilian attire, putting aside their military accoutrements for one night. This contrasted with the fact that they mostly talked about flying and their careers in the colonial service to that point in time. The conversation was peppered with a kind of playful banter that had inserted itself into their interaction with one another, and neither could fathom where it had come from. They just felt comfortable around one another.

After dinner, Lee and Kara went for drinks at a local night club, carrying the playful banter and mostly pilot talk to the new setting. While they were sitting at the bar, a young woman with styled, blonde hair and a low cut dress came over and asked Lee to dance. Lee seemed startled by the woman's bravado, considering he was sitting with another woman. Kara, on the other hand, reacted with irritation. She grabbed Lee and pulled him out on the dance floor, shoving the other woman out of the way.

The song was a fast one when they first stepped out on the floor, but a few seconds later, the melody changed to a slower tune. Lee and Kara hesitated for a moment, until they finally put their arms around each other and danced. For those few minutes, Lee and Kara entered into another world with just the two of them, staring into one another's eyes and one another's souls at the same time. Kara looked at Lee's eyes, and thought she could loose herself in them forever. "Shane was right," she thought. "Lee Adama is a very handsome man."

After dancing, they both agreed it was time to bring the evening to an end. Lee drove her home and, ever the gentleman, walked her to her door. They stood there at Kara's door for a few moments, exchanging pleasantries about how they had a good time. Kara thanked him for dinner, and Lee said good night. But for some reason, he felt the urge to kiss Kara on the cheek. As he did, Kara brought her lips to meet his in a move motivated by curiosity and desire.

They began to kiss, and the exchange grew more passionate, as the two of them refused to pull away from one another. Kara opened the door to her apartment, lips still locked with Lee Adama's. The door to the apartment closed, with them now inside, as clothes began to be thrown away on the floor as the two made their way to Kara's bed.

The sex had been desperately passionate, with the two of them drinking in every inch of one another. They said nothing more to each other the whole night, letting their bodies do all of the talking for them.

When it was over, Kara rolled onto her back, as they both panted with exhaustion from their exchange. She waited for the tell-tale movements that signaled Lee was getting up to leave. That's how these kind of exchanges had ended for Kara most of the time, with the other men she had been with. They had their fun, the deed was done, and they would put on their pants and leave with a few words of compliment to her.

But Lee didn't leave. Instead, Kara felt his arms come around her body. "Frak me, is he still wanting more?" she thought. But Lee simply pulled Kara to him, and held her close. Kara didn't know what to make of it, but then it dawned on her what he was doing. "He's cuddling me," she thought. "Is he really going to stay?"

A few moments later, she heard Lee's breathing change. He was asleep. "He's staying," she thought. Kara smiled, lay her head on his chest, and fell asleep.

Lee may have been there when she fell asleep, but he wasn't there now. As she sat up in bed, Lee came out of the bathroom adjoining her bedroom. "Good morning," he said, a neutral expression on his face.

"Morning," said Kara, casually getting up and putting her clothes on. Her earlier contentment was now replaced with nervousness. She decided to cover it as best as possible. "You got up early," she said, taking note of his fully dressed appearance.

"I've got to catch my flight to the Columbia at 07:30, and I still have to go back to guest officers' quarters and get my gear," he said. "I didn't know whether to wake you. You're up pretty early yourself."

"I get up to run everyday," she said, now wearing her jogging shorts and t-shirt. "Its how I stay fit."

"I see," said Lee. He was nervous as well, not sure what to say to Kara.

Kara took in Lee's silence, and knew that he was like a deer caught in headlights. He didn't know what to do about last night. Neither did she, but Kara simply didn't want to deal with it right now. She did what she does most of the time. Kara downplayed the situation.

"So, last night was great," she said. "Thanks."

As Kara walked out into the living room, Lee stood there for a moment in silence. Before he wasn't sure what to say. Now, he was also trying to process what Kara just said and her casual demeanor about the whole thing. Finally, he followed her out to the living room.

" 'Everything was great,'" Lee quoted. "That's…it."

"What's left to say?" she asked. "Lee, it was really a wonderful night."

Lee just looked at her with a stone face to cover up the confused feelings inside of him. Last night had been possibly the best night of his life, and for Kara, it was seemingly just a great time. "Fine," he thought. "I can play it that way."

"Yeah, it was great," he said. "Well, um, I hate to just leave, but…"

"No problem," said Kara non-chalantly, walking him to the door. "Have a good flight."

"Thanks," said Lee.

As he walked away, Kara watched him go. Something inside of her made her call out to him before he got too far.

"Lee, wait," she said.

Lee stopped, and turned to look at her. Kara was going to say something, but then pulled back, not wanting to say what she intended after all. Instead, she said something else. "Keep in touch, huh," she said.

Lee nodded. "Sure," he said. He turned and continued to his brother's car.

After Lee left, Kara sat on the couch in her living room and ran her hand her hair. "Nice going, Thrace," she said to herself.

A short time later, Kara was running down the block towards her apartment. When she got there, Kara found Shane "Artemis" Flavia sitting on her front doorstep.

"Hey, Shane," said Kara. "How's kicks?"

"How's kicks?" replied Shane. "That's all you've got to say."

Kara opened the front door to her apartment and walked in, with Shane right behind her. "What are you talking about, Shane?"

"I saw him," said Shane. "Coming out of your apartment at a little after 05:30. Lee 'Frakking Gorgeous' Adama."

Kara started doing her cool-off stretches on the floor. "Yeah, he was here."

"Oh, you are not going to try and tell me he visited you that early," said Shane. "He stayed the night, didn't he? After your little dinner date."

Kara kept going with her stretches, and replied non-chalantly. "Yeah, he stayed the night."

"You slept with him!" yelled Shane. "I knew it!"

Kara winced at Shane's yells. "Gods, Shane, tell the whole frakking neighborhood."

As Kara walked into the kitchen to get some water, Shane pressed her for more. "So, how was he?"

"Shane, I really don't want to talk about it, alright," said Kara.

"Don't tell me he was bad," said Shane.

"No, far from it," said Kara, quietly. For a moment, she lost herself in the memory of the night before, but then returned to the present. "Look, we had a wonderful night together. He left to go back to his ship this morning. End of story."

"So, are you two going to see each other again?" asked Shane.

"Probably not," said Kara. "Not in the way you mean."

"You mean he blew you off," said Shane.

"No," said Kara. "We…well…it just looks like it won't go further. That's all."

"Kara, why…"

"Look, Shane, I need to shower and dress," said Kara. "I've got four nuggets on the Tarmac at 08:00 for evals."

She left Shane standing in the living room, letting the latter see her own way out. Kara undressed, got into the shower, and let the water cascade down her body. She let the water wash away the memories of Lee Adama, and the night they had together.

End of Chapter Four. Chapter Five coming soon. Feedback/reviews are always welcomed and appreciated.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes: Thank you to all of those who have been reading my story. If there are any new readers, welcome. All those who have been reading, welcome back after a few day hiatus. For those who have been so generous with your reviews and feedback, thank you. Here is the next chapter. I will try to post as many chapters as possible between now and Christmas, but it will be sporadic because of the holidays. Please be patient if there are more gaps in posts. **

**Chapter Five:**

One month later, Lee Adama was changing into his flight suit for morning maneuvers on board the Columbia. It was the normal routine of the hustle and bustle of pilots getting ready for climbing into their Vipers and shooting off into the darkness of space. Lee lived for these times, and loved the life and career he had chosen.

The warning claxon for an announcement came over the loud speakers. "Pass the word for Lt. Adama, please report to starboard communications."

"Meet you all on the flight deck," said Lee, as he responded to his summons.

When he reached the starboard communications room, a petty officer handed him a phone. "Lieutenant, you have a call from Picon, a Lt. Kara Thrace of the Picon Fleet Flight School."

The name made Lee's heart jump, as the memories of that wonderful night and disappointing morning rushed into his mind. As Lee's mind lingered on the memories, the Petty Officer became impatient.

"Sir," she said. "I can't tie up this channel too long."

"Of course," said Lee. "Thank you."

He put the phone to his ear, and spoke in the receiver with as much confidence as he could muster. "Hello."

"Hi, Lee," said Kara on the other end of the line. She sounded concerned about something. "I'm sorry to call you away from duty, but I've got something to tell you. Its about Zak."

"Is he okay?" asked Lee, a sudden tone of concern entering into his voice.

"He's fine," said Kara. "Physically. But…Lee, I wanted to tell you myself. I had to flunk him out of the basic flight program."

Lee didn't know what to say at first, and a nervous silence hung over the line. When he didn't respond, Kara became concerned that he was upset.

"Lee, I'm sorry but…he messed up too many of his quals," she said. "He didn't totally lack skill, but…Lee, if I had cleared him for Vipers, he probably would have had a major crack up. He just couldn't handle the intricacies the job entails. I know you must be upset, but I just couldn't do it. I couldn't pass him."

"No, Kara, I'm…shocked," said Lee. "He made it sound like he was doing well when I talked with him, and gave no hint of the trouble he was having when I was there a month ago. Of course, you didn't either."

"I didn't feel it was right to talk to his brother about it behind his back," said Kara.

"You're right," said Lee. "It wouldn't have been right. Look, Kara…you did the right thing. If you say he wasn't fit, then…he wasn't fit."

"He took it bad, Lee," said Kara. "He kept talking about how disappointed your father would be, and that you might look down on him for it."

"I'd never look down on him for that," said Lee. "My father wouldn't either…I don't think. I mean…well, never mind. Look, Kara, I have to go. Thanks for telling me, huh."

"You bet," said Kara. "Least I could do. Look, um…Lee. I know we kind of ended on an off note…you and I. But…look, don't be a stranger. If you ever pass here again, and I'm still here…look me up."

Lee smiled. "Maybe there was more to that night after all," he thought. "I will," he said.

Part 2, Chapter 5:

A month later, Kara and Shane were sitting at the Officer's Club having an evening drink. They were training another class of nuggets in basic flight, and were talking about the abilities of their various students.

"I'm telling you," said Shane. "Mitchell has the potential to be the best nugget of this class. He's got the talent and the attitude to boot. He reminds me a lot of you."

"Oh really," said Kara. "Does he have perky breasts and a nice but, too?"

"You know what I mean, Miss Full of Yourself," said Shane.

"Well," said Kara. "He's gonna have to be good to beat out Deanna Miller. She is so good I'd say…"

Kara stopped talking when she saw Shane staring at the Officer's Club door. "Um, hello, Shane 'Artemis' Vansen," said Kara. "Are you copying me here?"

"Kara," said Shane, with a smirk on her face. "Eyes to the door."

Kara turned and saw what Shane was staring at. Lee Adama, standing in the doorway, looking right at her. The expression on his face was unreadable to Kara, and she was sure that her's was equally puzzling to him. They just stared at each other for a few moments, before Lee slowly walked over to her at the bar.

"So, your boyfriend is back in town," said Shane.

"Shut up!" Kara whispered to Shane, as Lee walked up.

"Kara, Shane," said Lee. "How's it…going?"

"Fine," said Shane. "Good to see you again." She waited for Kara to say something, but the latter remained silent. "So," Shane continued. "What brings you here?"

"I've been selected for the Colonial War College," said Lee. "I start classes there in a week. Its only 15 minutes from here by transport."

"Congratulations," said Kara, finally joining the conversation. "That's quite an honor, especially for someone so young."

"Yeah," said Lee. "I guess so."

"You'll come out of it a Captain," said Shane. "And on your way to being a CAG."

"After field training under a serving CAG, yes," said Lee.

"Well, Lee," said Shane. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I have to get up early in the morning, so I'll be going."

"Yeah, me too," said Kara, starting to get up.

"No, you don't," said Shane. She leaned in and whispered to Kara. "Don't blow this guy off. Recognize a good thing when you see it."

"Kara," said Shane, loud enough for Lee to hear. "Remember, you don't have classes tomorrow. You stay and talk to Lee. Good night to both of you."

"Good night, Shane," said Lee.

Kara simply scowled at Shane for a few moments, before turning back to the bar and her drink. Lee sat next to her and ordered a drink for himself. They sat there in silence for several minutes, just nursing their drinks and looking for the words. Finally, Lee started talking.

"I figured I'd find you here," said Lee. "I'm surprised you're not playing cards, though."

"Everyone's hitting their rack early tonight," said Kara. "Not enough good players around to scare up a good game."

"I see," said Lee.

"How's Zack doing?" asked Kara. "I've been worried about him."

"He's fine," said Lee. "He enlisted as a deck hand. He's in fleet mechanics school."

"He was good at the mechanics of the birds," said Kara. "He should do okay."

"I think he did it more to try and please my father," said Lee. "Even though Dad told him he was okay with him flunking out of flight school. I just hope he finds a path in life that will be a good one for him."

"He will," said Kara. "He's a survivor, Lee. I should know. He came back and told me he wasn't bitter with me. It was good of him to do that. He even tried to ask me out."

"And?" he asked hesitantly.

"I turned him down," said Kara. "I…I couldn't do that."

"Because of what happened between us," said Lee.

"Yeah, I guess," said Kara.

"So, speaking of," said Lee.

Kara smirked. "I was wondering how you were going to bring it into the conversation."

"Well, you kind of did," said Lee.

"I was talking about your brother," said Kara. "You're the one that made that little side trip to our previous encounter."

"Well, regardless how the conversation go there," said Lee. "We're there. And I want to talk about it."

"Lee, I…"

"No, let me talk first. I'm going to say what I want to say, then you can shoot me down if you want to. Kara, I was startled by your whole attitude that morning. That night….that was probably the best night of my life. I felt something very strong for you when we were together. It felt so…right, between us."

"Lee…"

"Shut up and let me finish!" said Lee, sternly.

Kara turned to look at him with a look of defiance. "What if I don't want to be ordered to listen to you!"

"I'm not trying to order you to do anything, Kara!" said Lee. "But I would like a chance to finish what I was saying!"

"Lee, we're too different," said Kara. "What happened between us shouldn't have happened! You and I are like fire and water."

"I disagree," said Lee. "That night, when we were together, you and I were like a burning flame. A single burning flame."

"So you are basing our compatibility on a night of great sex!" said Kara. "Lee, how do you know there wasn't more to it than that!"

"I know!" said Lee. 

"You know SHIT!" said Kara. "You know NOTHING about me! Who I am! What I am! Trust me, Lee. I may seem like a fun girl you like sweating the sheets up with, but I am not the kind of girl you would take home to Mommy and Daddy!"

"Why don't you let me be the judge of that?" asked Lee. "I think you want to give us a chance, too. Otherwise you wouldn't have told me to look you up when we talked on the phone a month ago."

Kara shook her head, threw some money on the bar to pay for her drinks, and walked out of the bar. Lee sat there for a moment, thinking about what to do. "Frak!" said Lee, slamming the money for his drinks on the bar, and then running out the door after Kara.

"KARA!" he yelled to her, as she walked away down the street.

She didn't stop. He finally grabbed her arm, and swung her around. Kara answered him with a swift punch to his jaw.

"Leave me alone!" said Kara.

"You hit me!" said Lee, rubbing his jaw. "Frak, woman, why did you hit me?"

"Because you are being a pain in the ASS!" said Kara.

"Wait, I know why," said Lee. "You are hoping you will drive me away with that punch, don't you? DON'T YOU! Well, I'm not going Kara. I am looking at a woman that has somehow, some way, worked her way into my soul in a very short time. I'm not letting you go without a fight!"

"There is nothing to fight for, Lee!" said Kara. "You and I had a great night, but that is all it can be!"

"Why?" said Lee. "Tell me about what it is you think I won't like about you. Get it out in the open. Don't run from it, or you might regret it for the rest of your life! And my experience with you tells me you are not to kind of person to run from a challenge."

Kara stared at him for a few moments, not knowing what to do. He mind was telling her to get rid of Lee Adama before her heart gets broken. Her heart is screaming at her to take the risk.

"Most…most men…wouldn't bother," said Kara. "Especially after what just happened."

"I'm not most men," said Lee. "I see something in you that…is drawing me to you. I may get burned, I know that. But I'm willing to risk it. Are you?"

Kara ran her hands through her hair, and turned away from Lee. She let out a sigh, and then spoke without turning towards him.

"Can you take a trip with me tomorrow?" asked Kara

"Where to?"

"Caprica. I'll tell you everything. I've got leave saved up, so I'll take it tomorrow. Shane will cover my classes for me, she owes me."

"Where are we going on Caprica?" asked Lee.

"Lee, you are asking a lot of me," said Kara, turning back towards him. "Now I'm asking you to not to ask any more questions. Just take the trip with me."

"Fine," said Lee. "Tomorrow it is."

End of Chapter Five. Chapter Six coming soon. Feedback/reviews are always welcomed and appreciated.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six:**

Kara was quiet with Lee all the way to Caprica. The latter tried to engage her in conversation several times, but gave up when each attempt was only met with one-word or non-committal answers. So, Lee tried to loose himself in one of the issues of Caprican Life provided to the passengers of the transport they were on, all the while his mind was swirling around the woman sitting next to him.

When they arrived at the military spaceport outside of Delphi, Kara and Lee took a bus into the city. They got off in a rather run down part of town.

"Are we there yet?" asked Lee, as they watched the bus go.

"Almost," said Kara, walking down the street, with Lee following her.

Lee was a patient man, but his patience was starting to wear thin. It had taken them five hours to get this far, and Kara's silence was beginning to gnaw at Lee little by little.

"Look, Kara," said Lee, stepping up next to her as they walked. "I think its time you start telling me where we are going and why."

"And I think that you need to be patient a little longer," said Kara. "Consider this a test. You are close to passing. Don't blow it now."

"Fine," said Lee. "I'll give you a little longer, but…"

"We're here," said Kara, stepping up to the door of one of the run-down looking apartment buildings.

They walked inside the building, and climbed several flights of stairs. They finally arrived at the door of one of the apartments. Kara pulled out a set of keys, opened the door, and led Lee inside.

Lee was led into a studio-like apartment that looked like it hadn't seen a maid service in a very long time. There were paintings on the walls, unframed and rather sloppily tacked up around the room.

"Did you do these?" asked Lee, looking at the paintings.

"Yeah," said Kara. "I dabble. It helps me to vent my emotions sometimes."

Kara walked over to a small disk player, put in a disk she had in her pocket, and pressed the play button. Soon, the sound of piano music filled the room, and Kara just stood there with her eyes closed. Her breathing became slower, almost like she were meditating on the sound of the music.

Lee waited, becoming used to it now. He figured she would start explaining when she was ready.

"This is my father," she said, after several minutes of her internal ruminations.

Lee was puzzled at first before finally catching on to what she was talking about. "The music," he said.

"Yeah," she said. "He wrote it and played it. He used to play the lounges in some of the more adventurous districts of Caprica City. In one of those lounges, he met my mother. She was a marine, on leave and looking for a good time."

"You're father was a piano player and your mother was a marine," said Lee. "Quite a combination."

"I guess," said Kara. The whole time she talked, she looked out the window of the apartment, letting the memories of them wash over her as she spoke. "They began an affair, and she fell madly in love with him. Eventually, they're little affair produced a child."

"You," said Lee.

"Yes," she replied. "Me. My father….didn't want children. Didn't want to be tied down. But, to his credit, he tried. He stayed with my mother and I, and she left the Marines to be a housewife and mother. I remember sitting with my father, playing the piano at the club he used to play at. That's pretty much all I remember about him. He left when I was six, deciding he couldn't be a husband and father. After that, my mother lost any heart that she had. She began to drink…all the time. And she was a mean drunk."

Kara was silent for a few moments, gathering her internal strength to go on. "She blamed me for driving my father away. She would drink, get angry, and…take her pain out on me. She would scream at me…that I was a worthless piece of garbage. That I would never be anything but a burden to her. Then, once in a while, she would stop talking…and start hitting. Or she would just lock me in a closet to get me out of her sight for a while. One time, when I was trying to make her dinner…I guess I was about ten; I spilled sauce all over the floor of the kitchen. She laid my hand on the kitchen table, took a mallet, and broke every finger in my hand. I screamed in agony, but she ignored it."

Kara felt gentle hands touch her shoulders. Then, a thumb brushed away a tear that she didn't even realize was running down her cheek. Lee brought her into his arms, and kissed her on the forehead gently. Kara was tempted to melt into his embrace, and let his strong arms wrap her in a cocoon of warmth and protection from her inner demons.

"No, Lee," said Kara, pulling away from his arms. "I am not telling you all of this to elicit sympathy from you. That is exactly what I don't want. I don't want you to fall for me because you see me as some poor orphan that needs your protection. As you can see, I survived my mother all on my own. And there were other disappointments along the way that I got through on my own, too. I became a great pyramid player, and was hoping to go to college on a pyramid scholarship. Until an injury killed that dream. Then, I joined the service, and discovered what I was born to do."

"Fly," said Lee.

"Right," said Kara. "I am a damned good pilot. One of the best in the fleet. I am very proud of that. It is the one thing in my life that I have that hasn't been frakked up."

"Kara," said Lee. "Why did you bring me here to tell me all of this?"

"Because this apartment is me, Lee," said Kara. "Its messy, its weathered by time and circumstance. That's what your getting, Lee. A woman who has been through a lot, is very rough around the edges, and hard to deal with at times. I'm not easy, Lee. I'm a challenge. I'm called Starbuck for a reason. I buck and kick and throw some mean punches. If you are looking for a smooth relationship, don't look here."

"It sounds like you want me to go away," said Lee. "That you are telling me this because you don't want me in your life."

"No, Lee," said Kara. "I'm not necessarily telling you that. And I'm not looking for some kind of guarantee from you if you do decide to stick around. We're both just starting, you and I. But I want you to know that I don't want you to reform me. I am who I am. If you can live with that, then maybe we can try."

Lee was quiet for a few moments before speaking. "Okay, Kara," said Lee. "I know where you are coming from. But I have to know something before I make a decision. Just like you said—no guarantees. But…do you have any interest at all in being with me."

Kara smiled. "Frak, yes," said Kara. "Why do you think I brought you here? Lee, I see in you the guy I have always dreamed about coming into my life. For the first time, I see a chance at something…better, in my life. But I don't want to start down a road with you just to see you dump me on the side when the road gets bumpy."

"Like your father did to your mother," said Lee.

"Right," said Kara. "So, you have a choice to make. If you choose to leave, no hard feelings."

Lee smiled, walking closer to Kara. "Kara, I've known from the beginning that you were not easy. I don't want easy. I want you. I don't know if you and I are going to be a permanent relationship, but…I do know that I want to try. And if I can make some of your pain go away, even though you don't want a protector or savior, then whatever happens would be worth it. So, I'm not going anywhere."

He put his arms around her once again. This time she did not pull away. Instead, she met his lips as he leaned down to kiss her. Her father's music played in the background, as the two lovers held one another and let their passions consume them.

End of Chapter Six. Chapter Seven coming soon. Feedback/reviews are always welcomed and appreciated.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven:**

Lee awoke in surroundings that were not readily familiar to him. It took a few moments for his mind to register where he was. In Kara's apartment in Delphi, in Kara's cot-like bed that barely slept one, but somehow the two of them managed to sleep on it together.

After their heart-to-heart talk, they began kissing. They started by falling on the couch, where they stripped off their clothes and allowed themselves to indulge in the passions they had been holding back. Once done on the couch, they moved to Kara's bed, clothes in hand, and rested in each other's arms for an hour. They didn't say anything, just enjoyed the time together. Then, they made love again, with this encounter being less intense than the previous one, but not less enjoyable and intimate for the both of them. Afterwards, they fell asleep with arms and legs enter-twined with one another.

But Kara was not in bed when Lee woke up. He pulled the sheets off of him and put on his pair of underwear that he retrieved from the floor next to the bed. Lee walked from the small bedroom to the main room of the apartment. He found Kara standing in her military issue underwear and undershirt, painting at an easel standing in the middle of the room.

"Finally up," said Kara, not turning to look at him.

"You must have eyes in the back of your head," said Lee, walking up and putting his arms around Kara's waist. He kissed her neck.

"Helps when you fly a Viper," said Kara, stopping her painting momentarily to enjoy Lee's embrace. "Actually, I just felt you watching me. You like seeing me paint in my skivvies?" she asked playfully

"I'd rather watch you paint without your skivvies on," replied Lee, brushing his lips against Kara's shoulder.

Kara chuckled, and turned to face Lee and put her arms around her. "I can think of better things to do naked."

She kissed Lee on the chest, before raising her lips to meet his.

"So, you expect a repeat performance," said Lee. "Two showings didn't satisfy you."

"Nuh-uh," said Kara. "I want more."

Just then, there was a knock at the door. "Who the frak could that be?" asked Lee, between kisses.

"Um, I ordered take out," said Kara.

Lee let out a pained sigh.

"Sorry, Lee," she said. "I was hungry."

"I'm hungry, too," said Lee. "For you."

"Food for dinner first," said Kara. "Then we can have desert."

A few hours later, after they shared "desert," Lee and Kara lay on the bed that now smelled of sweat and sex, the results of their repeated bouts of passion. Lee was laying on his back, with Kara laying half on top of him, her head resting on his chest. He played with her hair tenderly as they lay there.

"Kara," said Lee, breaking their silent repose. "What made you tell me about your past? Have you ever told that to anyone else?"

"Shane knows quite a bit of it," said Kara. "She's really my only close friend. The others are just drinking buddies. Not exactly the kind for true confessions. Besides, it's nobody else's business. As for why I told you…you were pretty persistent."

"You know, you did kind of give me a sense you were interested in me for more than just a one night stand when you told me to look you up if I were ever on Picon," said Lee.

"Part of me wanted to tell you that when you left that morning after we were together the first time," said Kara. "I wanted to reach out to you, but…I chickened out. I'm not good at this emotional stuff."

"I don't think anyone is ever good at it," said Lee. "I could have pressed you then, but I figured that if you were giving me the cold shoulder, why should I make an issue of it? Even though I felt something for you that was different."

"You know what kind of drew me to you in the beginning," said Kara. "Besides the fact you've got a cute ass."

"I do?" asked Lee with a big smile.

"Don't let it go to your head, fly boy," she said. "When I first met you, I pegged you for being some tight assed Daddy's boy. Then you came to the O Club, played a good hand of cards, and then challenged me to that match on the Darby Queen. Then, to top it off, you demanded my pants as a trophy if you won."

"I was attracted to you then, too," said Lee. "But two very different things really made me want to explore something more with you. The first was when you gave me back my Dad's wings. The second was when you dropped your trousers in the O Club when I dared you."

They both chuckled. "I still think you just wanted to see me in my underwear," said Kara. "As for the wings…well, you just looked so beaten up over it. I couldn't take your Dad's wings."

"That meant more to me than you might ever know," said Lee.

"Let me know," said Kara, looking up at Lee. "Tell me more about your relationship with your Dad."

"You really want to know all of that?" asked Lee.

"Quid pro quo," said Kara. "I spilled my guts to you. Its your turn."

"My relationship with my father is complicated," said Lee. "I mean he gave me a lot besides his first pair of wings. He put me and Zack in a Viper cockpit when were still young boys. He would take Zack and I up in Raptors sometimes. When I was flying with Dad, I felt closer to him than at any other time. I also felt this thrill for being in the air. I felt I belonged there."

Kara smiled. "So did I the first time I flew," she said.

"I found my love of being a pilot because of my father," said Lee. "But he also made it a matter of being a man to be a pilot. That's why Zack joined up. He didn't really like flying, he just wanted to please Dad and be a man in his eyes. That's why when he flunked out of flight school he still joined up as a deck hand…to please Dad."

"But your Dad told him he was okay with Zack not being a pilot," said Kara.

"Sure," said Lee. "Stack that up against a lifetime of hearing from him the pride that only comes with being a Viper pilot speeches. Then there's Mom. They love each other, but he was just never around much for them to really know what it meant to be married to one another. Even when he was home, part of him was still in the air, or on a battlestar. Mom felt like she was a mistress and Dad was married to the service. Their marriage is now on the rocks. The divorce became final a few months ago."

"So you not only resent his demands on Zack," said Kara. "But you also resent how he treated your mother."

"I guess," said Lee. "Anyhow, that's my relationship with Dad. I'll have to introduce you to him sometime."

Kara looked away from Lee, and settled her cheek back down on his chest. Lee could feel her body tense up.

"What, Kara?"

"Lee, do you really want me to meet your parents?" asked Kara.

"Sometime," said Lee. "Why?"

"I've never really thought of myself as the kind of girl a guy would take home to the folks," said Kara. Then, she decided to end the conversation before they went too far back into her life story. "Speaking of home," she said. "We have to go back tomorrow, you know."

"Uh-huh," said Lee.

"I assume you don't want this to end when we leave this apartment," she said.

"Damned right I don't," said Lee.

"Good," said Kara. She was quiet for a few moments, contemplating her next suggestion before making it. "You know, the War College is just 15 minutes from the Flight School."

"Yeah, we can see each other often," said Lee.

"Especially if we were sharing quarters," she said.

Lee looked at her with surprise. "Are you asking me to move in with you?"

"I guess I am," said Kara.

"That's a big step," said Lee. "Are you sure?"

"Why not?" asked Kara. "I mean, if we are going to try this whole 'getting to know you' thing, might as well not do it half-assed. If it doesn't work out, I can always throw your ass out onto the street."

"You would throw my 'cute ass' out onto the street?" asked Lee playfully, harkening back to her earlier compliment about his posterior.

"Frak, I knew that comment would go to your head," said Kara, getting up out of bed. As she sat up, Lee looked down at Kara's posterior.

"Speaking of cute asses," he said.

She turned and smiled. "Yeah, and I'm taking my cute ass to the head, so you'll just have to do without it for a while."

As she stood up, Kara wiggled her but slightly in Lee's face. The latter slapped Kara's but playfully as she stepped away from the bed to go towards the bathroom. Lee put his hands behind his head and smiled.

"Frak me, my girlfriend is hot," he said to himself.

"Thanks," said Kara, from the bathroom door.

"With great ears to boot," said Lee, slightly embarrassed by the overheard comment.

End of Chapter Seven. Chapter Eight coming soon. Feedback/reviews are always welcomed and appreciated.


	8. Chapter 8

**Note: Sorry it has been so long between chapters. I was spending Christmas with family, and did not have the opportunity to work on the story. But, fresh off the presses is a new chapter. Thanks to those of you who have been keeping up with the story, and welcome to any new readers.**

**Chapter Eight:**

One month after their visit to Delphi, Lee and Kara had managed to settle into a comfortable relationship of roommates who shared a bed and an intimate relationship with one another. But seemingly every day, the two of them would also get on each other's nerves about something. Despite the passion that existed between them, their differences often got in the way of the more positive nature of their relationship at times.

On this particular morning, Lee was brushing his teeth when Kara walked into the bathroom. "I'll be done in a minute," said Lee with a mouth full of toothpaste.

"I can't wait," said Kara, as she walked over to the toilet, pulled down her underwear, and sat down to relieve herself.

"Oh, KARA!" shouted Lee, spitting toothpaste out of his mouth into the sink. "That's disgusting! You can't wait until I'm finished!"

"I have to pee, Lee," said Kara. "Why should I wait to pee in my own bathroom in MY apartment when you aren't even using the frakking toilet?"

"I'm in here trying to brush my teeth," said Lee, after washing his mouth out with water. "Do you know how gross it is to hear you pee while I have water and toothpaste in my mouth?"

Kara finished, flushed the toilet, and pulled her underwear up. She walked up to him with an irritated expression. "You wanna talk gross," said Kara. "Next time you get the urge to fart laying in my bed, FIGHT IT!"

"When did I do that?" asked Lee.

"Two nights ago," said Kara, "as you were drifting off to sleep. I had to get up for a few minutes to allow time for the smell to go away!"

"Well, that was YOUR FAULT!" said Lee. "You're the one who fixed your fire-breath chili that night! And what's with this MY bed, MY apartment stuff! I thought we were sharing quarters?"

"Whose name is officially on the quarters assignment, huh?" asked Kara. "You want the privilege of hot bunkin with me, but you keep making these objections to how I live my life!"

"All I ask is for some simple accommodations and courtesy, that's all!" countered Lee.

"You want accommodations," said Kara. "Check into a five star hotel, but don't count on the maid to frak you!"

Kara stormed out of the bathroom, slamming the door behind her and effectively ending the argument. By the time Lee came out, Kara was already out for her morning run. As Lee got dressed, wolfed down a donut for breakfast, then went out to his car, he couldn't shake the anger he was feeling from his mind. But as he drove to the War College, Lee started to feel stupid about the whole thing. They got into a huge argument all because of a few toilet-etiquette issues. It got to the point where Kara suggested he moved out, even if just in an off-hand remark. In all of their little spats, it had never gotten to that. Lee resolved himself to try and patch things up with Kara when he got home this evening.

"I just hope I don't come back to find my things on the front doorstep," said Lee to himself.

Later that day, Kara reported to the Senior Flight Instructor's Office to deliver the latest reports on her class of trainees. She was already in a bad mood after her fight with Lee that morning, and this part of her duties only added to her miserable day.

Captain Ellis Paret was a fair pilot who was shuffled into the administrative position of Senior Instructor because of his organizational skills. But Kara hated him because he always acted like he was the best pilot in the service when his piloting skills no-where matched his talk. Their working relationship was also hindered by the fact that he made several strong passes at her, and didn't like hearing no from Kara. Paret was a good-looking guy who was used to having his way with women, but Kara wasn't interested. She had thought about filing a complaint at one point, but Paret backed off and only gave her snide remarks here and there, probably trying to provoke her into getting herself into trouble.

Kara stepped into Paret's office, and came to attention. "Sir, reporting with performance reports."

Paret looked up from his desk. "Good, Thrace, just put them on the pile."

"Sir," replied Kara, putting the report down on a stack of reports delivered by the other instructors. Not having been dismissed, Kara stood there for a few moments. Paret was filling out some paperwork, and did not say anything else to her.

"If there is nothing else, sir," hinted Kara, trying to hold back her impatience.

Paret looked up at her. "Have a seat, Thrace," said Paret. "I have a concern I wish to discuss with you."

Kara said "frak" to herself very quietly under her breath. She sat down, and plastered a fake smile on her face. "I hope I can address your concern, sir."

Paret got up from his desk and looked out the window of his office. "I understand you are sharing quarters, Lieutenant. With a male officer. Is this correct?"

Kara's thoughts turned to Lee, and to the fight she had with him that morning. Not only did she have to speak about him with a man she didn't like, but she also had to do it after having had a fight with him that morning.

"Yes," said Kara, very matter-of-factly. "Why do you ask?"

"Are the two of you in an intimate relationship?" asked Paret.

Now Kara was starting to get irritated. "Why is that any of your business?"

Paret turned to face her. "You live in 'Bachelors Officers Quarters.' Meaning quarters for single officers."

"From my understanding, sir, it means quarters for un-married officers," said Kara. "I'm not married to the man who is living with me. And as long as it doesn't interfere with my duties, it's none of your business who stays in my quarters as my guest."

Paret walked around to the front of his desk, and stood over Kara. "I've done some digging into your houseguest," said Paret. "Lt. Lee Adama is a student at the War College. Fast track to promotion for him. Not to mention he is also the son of Commander William Adama of the Galactica. I must say, as far as connections go, you have good taste in the men you sleep with."

Kara stood up to face him, an expression of restrained anger on her face. "No, my taste just leans more towards a real man. Which is what Lee Adama is, and which is why I never took you up on your offer."

Kara winked at him sarcastically, then walked towards the door.

"I didn't dismiss you, Lieutenant," said Paret.

Kara stopped, but didn't turn around. "If the only concern you have is who I'm frakking, then we're done here."

She opened the door and stepped out. After she closed it, Kara let out a sigh. "Frakking prick," she said, before walking away from the office as fast as she could.

When Kara got home that night, she found Lee sitting at the kitchen table working on one of his assignments for school. He looked up when she walked in. "Hi," he said. "There's a pot of stew on the stove ready. I'll serve us up some if you want."

Kara stood there and looked at him for a long moment. "He always does this after we fight," she thought. "Just greets me like it didn't happen, hoping we would just make up with a quiet dinner, followed by hot sex. Smart guy, because it always works. And it will this time, too. With one difference."

"Go ahead and sit down," said Lee, walking over to the stove and turning off the burner.

"Lee," said Kara, walking over to him in the kitchen. She put a hand on his shoulder, causing him to turn around and look at her.

Lee saw something in Kara's eyes that immediately made him put his arms around her. "Kara, what…"

"Can we skip dinner and just go straight to the part where you make love to me?" asked Kara.

Lee considered asking her why she looked so downtrodden, but decided to go ahead and honor her request. He began to kiss her, and then after a few kisses led her to the bedroom, not taking his arms off of her the whole way there.

After making love to Kara, Lee held her close to him in his arms, feeling her relax as she rested her head against his shoulder. He held her quietly, but finally decided to find out what was bothering her.

"Kara," said Lee. "Are you okay?"

"Are you kidding me?" asked Kara, with a smile. "I feel frakking fantastic. Not to make you any more full of yourself, but you managed to always put a smile on my face."

Lee chuckled. "You weren't when you came in," said Lee. He lifted her chin with his finger so that her eyes met his. Then, stroking her cheek with that finger, Lee kissed her forehead and again gently pressed her. "Please tell me. What's wrong, baby?"

Lee only called her "baby" in their most tender moments or their most energetic bouts of sex. This time was one of the former, and it always seemed to touch Kara's soul to hear him call her that. He didn't say it in a demeaning way, but one filled with affection and concern for her welfare.

"I just had a bad day," said Kara. "It started with our stupid fight, then just got worse from there. I had a little confrontation with my CO."

"What kind of confrontation?" asked Lee.

"He knows about us living together," said Kara. "He confronted me about it in his office, and wanted to know details."

"Well, we are kind of on the edge of bending regs here," said Lee. "I still keep official quarters at the War College Officer Barracks just to avoid any breaking of regs."

"Lee, he didn't confront me as a CO," said Kara. "He did it as a jilted man. You see, that prick came on to me a while back, repeatedly, and I turned him down. Ever since then, well…he finds ways to get under my skin. He implied I was sleeping with you because you were an up-and-coming officer and son of a Battlestar commander."

"If he steps over the line with you, just file charges," said Lee.

"He's crafty," said Kara. "He knows just how to stay on the edge. Our conversation could very well seem like a CO expressing concern about the possible breaking of regulations. Besides, filing charges would just make big trouble, probably for me. I mean, I don't exactly have the best rep for following regs, and Paret has his lips planted on the asses of a few higher ups. Really, Lee, it bothers me, but its nothing I can't handle."

"You sure?" asked Lee, bringing her closer to him with his arms. Smiling, he joked. "I could beat him up for you?"

Kara laughed. "I'd love to see that. But I'd rather do it, and I don't want you involved. I can fight my own battles. I just liked the idea of coming home and having you hold me. Being close to you…just makes me feel better about all of it. Because I know in my heart that you are ten times the man that Paret could ever be, and that I'm not with you because of the reasons Paret says."

"I'm glad I make you feel better," said Lee. He looked at her face for a long moment, and just gently brushed a lock of hair from her cheek to behind her ear.

"What?" she asked.

"You are so beautiful," said Lee. "Without even trying, you are gorgeous."

Kara smiled, and kissed Lee tenderly on the lips. "Thank you," she said. "For not only the compliment, but for making me feel beautiful."

A while later, Kara was asleep in Lee's arms. He was laying on his back, his arm around Kara as she lay half on top of him, her head resting on his chest. Lee lay awake, stroking her hair gently, watching her smile as she slept. Then, Lee dared to quietly say the words he was afraid to say to her when she was awake, for fear of shaking her up to much and moving too fast with their relationship. But the words expressed how Lee Adama now knew he felt about Kara in his heart and soul.

"I love you."

End of Chapter 8. Chapter 9 coming soon. Feedback/reviews are always welcomed.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine:**

Kara awakened from the nightmare with a start. It took her a few moments to remember where she was, and that the memories conjured up in her unconscious mind happened years ago. The nightmare was a typical one of the kind she had about once a month. Her mother, in one of her drunken rages, taking one of Kara's favorite toys and busting it into a million pieces. When Kara had begun crying, her mother grabbed her and smacked her in the face. She told Kara that if she continued to cry, she would give her a beating to make sure the tears were justified.

But that was the past, and this was the present. In the past, when Kara had these nightmares, she would wake up to an empty bed. This time was different, because she had Lee. As Kara felt over to his pillow in the dark, she was surprised to find nothing but the pillow there. She felt around further, and found Lee was not in bed. Kara then looked at the clock.

"1:00 in the morning," she said to herself groggily. "Not again."

Kara got up and grabbed a t-shirt to put on. She considered going to find him in nothing but her underwear, her bare chest being an incentive to get Lee to bed. But the chills she still felt from her dream caused Kara to cover up with the shirt.

She came out to the outer room of their apartment, and found Lee exactly where she expected to. He was sitting at the kitchen table with papers and charts spread in front of him. Lee was working on an assignment for one of his War College classes. The way Lee's mind worked, he would focus on a problem at the expense of almost all else, including sleep, until he solved it. Never mind the assignment wasn't due for another week. Lee would work on it feverishly until it was done, be that a week in advance or an hour.

Kara walked over to Lee. He looked up at her and smiled.

"You should be asleep," said Lee.

"That's my line," replied Kara, walking behind him and putting her hands on his shoulders. She began to massage his upper back and neck. Lee leaned back and moaned with relaxation and enjoyment under Kara's ministrations on his aching muscles.

"I had a nightmare," said Kara, resting her head on top of Lee's. "I reached for you and you were gone."

"I'm sorry," said Lee. "I wish I could have been there when you woke up, but I just haven't been able to get this assignment out of my mind."

"How do you expect your mind to work properly unless you sleep?" asked Kara.

"I can't sleep unless I solve this," said Lee. He pulled forward, away from Kara and back to his work.

Kara sat in the chair nearest to Lee, and looked at the table full of papers. "Maybe if you talked to me about the assignment," said Kara. "I might be able to help."

Lee sighed. "I have to plan a maneuver to defend this outpost against a cylon attack. It's a mock battle engagement, all on paper."

"How many enemy ships?" asked Kara, looking at the charts to be used for the battle plan.

"Forty," said Lee.

"How many do you have?" asked Kara.

"Fifteen," said Lee. "The test is designed to see how I would use inferior numbers and overcome the enemy's superiority."

Kara looked over the charts for several moments. "Lee, what kind of defenses does the outpost have?"

"Orbital defense platforms," said Lee. "Only two, operating below optimal capacity."

"Lee, why don't you leave the platforms in orbit unsupported by Vipers," said Kara. "Then take your fighter force and position it on the outer rim of the system. The cylons will more than likely jump into the system itself, around 10 to 20 millions kilometers away from the outpost planet. The platforms could engage them from the front, while the Vipers attack from the rear."

"That's risky, Kara," said Lee. "The platforms wouldn't last long under the enemy's fire."

"They wouldn't have to," said Kara. "If you have your Vipers come in at full thrusters, not breaking formation. They could sweep in and slice the enemy to pieces from the rear."

Lee smiled. "I get it now. The cylons would have to turn to engage the Vipers, which would take the heat off of the platforms, and would also lead them to have to fight a force on two fronts. Kara, that's brilliant." But Lee's smile turned to a frown. "But I can't use the plan."

"Why the frak not?" asked Kara. "I thought you said it was brilliant!"

"Its not my plan," said Lee. "Its yours. I would be taking credit for your idea."

"Lee, it's a mock battle plan," said Kara. "What do I care if you take credit, as long as you get it out of your head and get some rest?"

"It would be lying, Kara," said Lee. "I can't do it."

"Look, senior officers seek advice from others, don't they?"

"Sure," said Lee. "But this assignment specifically was a test of MY planning skills. If I tell my instructor that a fellow officer planned out the defense for me…"

"Lee," said Kara, with a sigh of frustration. "Sometimes you are too honest for your own good." She got up and went back towards the bedroom. "I'm going to bed. Use the plan, or don't, but I've got nuggets to face in the morning."

As Kara climbed back into bed, she pulled the covers over her and uttered a large grunt of frustration. "Frak, Lee," she thought. "How can you be so infuriatingly honest and so attractive for it at the same time?"

Several minutes later, Lee quietly walked into the room. He took of his shirt and gently climbed into bed. "You awake?" he whispered.

"No," she replied with a smirk. "This is the voice of my answering service. At the sound of the beep, leave a message."

Lee lay down on the bed next to her and pulled the covers over him. "Alright, smart ass," he said. "I decided to use your plan, but I will tell my instructor about you helping me with it. I'll take the consequences from there."

"Fine," said Kara, as she and Lee exchanged a brief but passionate kiss. "I'm just glad to see you come to bed."

"Kara," said Lee. "I was so wrapped up in my problem that I forgot to ask you about your nightmare. Are you alright?"

"I'm okay," said Kara. "Just another heartwarming memory of dear old mom."

Lee pulled her closer, and enveloped her in his arms. "I'm sorry I wasn't here for you, baby. I've been so wrapped up in my class work lately that I haven't really had much quality time to spend with you. But that is about to change."

"In what way?"

"You know that Colonial Day is coming up next week," said Lee. "And that Admiral Nagala is throwing a huge military ball to celebrate the holiday. All officers on Picon are invited."

"A bunch of brass and their dates dancing to elevator music," said Kara. "Fun, fun, fun."

"Come on Kara," said Lee. "I could be a chance for us to show them our moves. The last time we danced we had a good time."

"We had a better time when we got here after we danced," joked Kara. Then, it dawned on her what Lee was suggesting. "Lee, are you asking me to go with you to the ball?"

"Yes, if you would agree to be my lady fair for the night," said Lee.

Kara lay back and stared at the ceiling, becoming quite nervous.

"What, Kara?" asked Lee, as he put his arms back around her.

"Lee, I am not a lady fair," said Kara. "Some might say I'm a woman, but not a lady at all."

"They would be wrong," said Lee.

"Lee, I don't even have a fancy dress," said Kara.

"We can find you one," said Lee. "They have these places called stores where you can go to buy dresses."

"We wouldn't find one that would fit me," said Kara.

"They come in all sizes, Kara."

"LEE!" said Kara, as she got up out of bed with a feeling of exasperation. "Don't you get it? I wouldn't fit the DRESS! I'm not the kind of girl you take to a dance like that. I'm not elegant. I don't have any class."

Lee got up from the bed and walked over to her. He put his arms around her. "Class and elegance aren't based on your ability to walk around in a fancy dress. You have all the class necessary where it counts. Besides, if it's the dress you are worried about…it's a military ball, Kara. You can go in dress uniform if you want, I just…I just want to go with you."

Kara was quiet for a few moments. She looked into Lee's eyes and saw them pleading with her. She closed hers own eyes, but the look of Lee's expression followed her into her own eyelids. Finally, Kara nodded her head. "Okay. I'll go with you. But don't expect me to be the bell of the ball, huh."

Lee kissed her on the cheek. "I just want you to be you, Kara. Always. Now, let's get to bed, shall we?"

When they were back under the covers, Kara snuggled over closer to Lee. "You know," she said, running her hand down the front of Lee's body. "I'm awake now. Even if we get back to sleep, we'll have to be up in a few hours."

Lee ran his own hand down Kara's lower back, cupping her buttocks. "What about those nuggets you have to face in the morning?"

"Make me happy, and maybe I won't be so crabby for them," said Kara, kissing Lee on the neck.

"I'll do my best," replied Lee, as he moved his lips to meet hers.

End of Chapter Nine. Chapter Ten coming soon. Feedback/reviews are always welcomed.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes: I wanted to start by thanking everyone who is still reading the story. I apologize for my sporadic updates. The holidays of course demanded by attention, then, to top it off, I came down very sick towards the end of last week, and didn't feel like doing much typing. I will try to do better about updates.**

**Its time for Lee and Kara to go to the ball. Don't worry, that won't be as corny as it might sound. At least, I hope not. Big developments this chapter. By the way, Angelii…good prediction regarding who they will run into at the ball.**

**Chapter Ten:**

Lee checked his dress uniform over one more time in the mirror. He pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his brow. It was already soaked from the previous time he wiped sweat away from his face.

"Frak, why am I so nervous?" asked Lee of himself. "I've been out with Kara before. I SLEEP with her every night."

But Lee knew that this night was going to be special. He and Kara were going to be presenting themselves as a couple in front of a large number of the fleet's officers. Kara's and Lee's relationship had been mostly private up to that point, with the exception of the unknown people who may have glanced them eating at a restaurant or having drinks. Even the other officers on base didn't see them publicly affectionate with one another at the Officers Club. Kara was always nervous even to hold Lee's hand. Her friend Shane thought she was nuts, that if she had Lee as a boyfriend she would have her hand planted on Lee wherever they went to claim him in case other women got any ideas.

Kara was putting on her dress at Shane's quarters. Both ladies picked out the dress together, and were being very secretive about it. Lee couldn't wait to see Kara in a dress, knowing that despite her fears, Kara would look beautiful in a dress.

Satisfied with the appearance of his uniform, Lee turned off the lights in his and Kara's quarters, stepped out the door, locked it, and walked the dozen or so yards over to Shane's quarters. He walked up to the front door, straightened his uniform blouse one more time, and knocked.

A few moments later, Shane answered the door.

"Hi, Lee," said Shane.

"Shane," said Lee. "You know, I'm still surprised you aren't going to the ball tonight. I'm sure you wouldn't have any problems getting a date."

Shane smiled. "Thanks, Lee. But I'm like Kara…I hate formal occasions like that. If it wasn't for you, she sure as hell wouldn't be going either."

As she and Lee entered the living room of Shane's quarters, the door to the bedroom opened. Kara stepped out of the bedroom in a beautiful blue dress, her hair made up, and wearing just the right amount of makeup.

As soon as Lee looked at Kara, coming gracefully out of the bedroom, a big smile on her face, Lee Adama was hypnotized. He stood there, completely overwhelmed by the beautiful sight in front of him. She stood still for a moment, not sure how to take Lee's stunned expression.

Finally, Lee managed to speak. "So, um…" he began.

Kara realized finally that Lee was so impressed with her appearance that he was speechless. She recognized Lee's demeanor when he was stunned into silence. Kara got the same reaction one time from a more intimate and skimpy piece of clothing she wore for him once, in the privacy of their bedroom.

She walked over to stand closer to him. "I cleaned up good for the occasion, huh," said Kara.

Lee smiled. "Cleaned up good? Kara, you look…you look amazingly beautiful." He closed the distance between them, and put his arms around her waist. "Kara, you look….I swear you look like Aphrodite herself."

Kara giggled nervously. "Nice line, flyboy," she said, kissing him gently on the cheek.

"That's no line," said Lee. "I mean it, Kara."

"You two better get going," said Shane.

"Um, Lee," said Kara. "Just give me another minute, huh?"

"Sure," said Lee, finally shaken a bit more out of his trance. "I'll got get the car."

Lee backed towards the door, not taking his eyes off of Kara until he opened it and stepped outside. After Lee was out the door, Kara started to breath heavy.

"Frak me!" said Kara, putting her hand on her stomach.

"Kara," said Shane. "Stop being so nervous."

"This is nuts!" said Kara. "I mean, I can take a Viper and perform maneuvers that could kill me unless done perfectly. But I get in a dress and go to a dance with a guy, and I feel like I'm spiraling down towards an asteroid out of control. Frak, why did he have to be so damned gorgeous in his dress uniform to top it off?"

"Kara, you have nothing to be scared of," said Shane. "If a guy loved me like Lee loves you…"

"Shane, stop putting ideas like that in my head," said Kara. "Look, he's waiting, so."

Kara walked towards the door, took a deep breath, and went to open it. Shane stopped her.

"Kara," said Shane. "Take a good look at how Lee sees you sometime. You'll get ideas of love in your head just from that. The great thing about it is that I know you love him, too."

Kara smiled to herself briefly, knowing in her heart that Shane was right about the latter. But it was the former that nagged at her. Finally, she opened the door, to meet her prince and go the ball.

When they pulled up in front of the mansion where the ball was being held, two dress-uniformed petty officers walked over and opened the doors to Lee's car. The couple got out as the petty officers saluted Lee. One of them took Lee's keys to park the car. After the car pulled away, Kara walked over to Lee and adjusted her uniform collar.

"There," she said. "That's better. The seatbelt messed it up a little."

"Thanks," said Lee. He held out his arm, and she took it. "Shall we?"

"Into the breach we go," she replied.

They walked into the ball together, and made their way through the receiving line. The hosts of the party were both Admiral Nagala and the governor of Picon, whose mansion was the setting for the occasion. After making their way through the line, they stepped into the resplendent ball filled with dress-uniformed officers whose ranks ranged from Junior Officers to Admirals of the Fleet. Lee recognized many of them, as did Kara.

"You know," said Kara. "One bomb set off here and a large portion of the fleet would be crippled."

Lee chuckled. "Kara, the thoughts you have…"

"Lee," said a man's voice from their right.

It had been a while, but Lee would know that voice anywhere. He and Kara turned to face the approaching form of Commander William Adama.

"Dad," said Lee with a startled voice. "Um, I mean, sir." He and Kara both came to attention.

"At ease, Lee," said Adama. He held out his hand, and the younger Adama took it. "How are you, son?"

"Fine, sir," said Lee. "I…I didn't know you were on Picon."

"The Galactica is in port here for repairs," said Adama. "Anyhow, the Admiral insisted I show up for this little party of his." Adama looked pointedly at Kara. "Lt. Adama, where are your manners? Please introduce me to this lovely young woman on your arm."

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Lee. "Dad, this is my girlfriend, Lt. Kara Thrace. Kara, this is my father, Commander William Adama."

"Honored, sir," said Kara, holding out her hand.

Adama took it in a gentle handshake. "The honor is mine, Lieutenant. My son has told me in his rather infrequent letters," saying the last part looking at Lee, "that you are a flight instructor at the Colonial Flight Academy."

"Yes, sir," said Kara.

"And you were my younger son, Zak's, instructor," said Adama.

Kara suddenly became nervous. "Yes, I was. Sir, I…regret he didn't…"

"Not to worry, Lieutenant," said Adama. "I looked over your evaluation of Zak's performance. Your decision to flunk him was a sound one."

"I appreciate that, sir," said Kara.

"Something else I wanted to ask you about," said Adama. "I actually want to ask both of you about this. Scuttlebutt around the fleet is that my son…my normally reserved and in control of himself son…challenged you to a competition of sorts on the Darby Queen?"

Lee grimaced. "Um, yes sir."

"And that you lost said competition, Lee," said Adama.

"Yes, sir," said Lee.

"How?" asked Adama.

"She did a reverse spiral near grid seven of the course," said Lee, smiling at Kara with a sort of pride in his eyes for his girlfriend's piloting skills.

Adama looked at her with shock. Grid seven was towards the end of the course, and one of the most dangerous portions of the Darby Queen. "Are you that good or just frakking nuts?" he asked.

Kara smiled. "I think kicking your son's ass to the curb proved how good I am, sir."

Adama chuckled. "Son," he said, looking at Lee. "I like her."

Lee put his arm around Kara. "Glad you approve, sir," said Lee.

"Of course, you still need to get your mother's seal of approval," said Adama. "How is she by the way, Lee?"

Lee became quiet for a moment before answering. "Fine, sir," he said.

"Good," said Adama. "Well, if you two will excuse me. I have to make the rounds with the brass. Lt. Thrace, once again, it was a pleasure."

"Me too, sir," said Kara.

"Lee," said Adama. "The Galactica will be in orbit for a week. Give me a call. We'll have dinner."

"I'd like that, sir," said Lee, with less than sincere enthusiasm.

As the Commander walked away, Lee let out a deep breath he seemed to be holding. "Lee, he doesn't seem so bad," said Kara. "Of course, my experience with parents should not be used as a gauge for anything."

"I just never know how to relate to him," said Lee. "He's always been such a distant person. Our dinners…when we have them, are always about the service and how our careers are both going. Or talking about the family, which is kind of awkward now that he and Mom are divorced."

"Well, no need to worry about that now," said Kara. "I believe you brought me here to dance."

"I sure did," Lee said, looking at his beautiful date with a smile.

They stepped out onto the floor and started dancing to the slow, steady rhythm of what Kara had described as elevator music. As they danced, Lee and Kara exchanged a few words here and there, and enjoyed being together.

"I'm glad you talked me into coming," said Kara. "I'm having a great time."

"Me too," said Lee.

"I also liked being introduced to your father as your girlfriend," said Kara.

Lee smiled. "I like introducing you to people as my girlfriend. That's why we are here, after all. I want to show you off to the world."

"Good evening," said a man's voice.

Kara recognized it, and grimaced. "So much for a great time," she said.

Captain Ellis Paret stood there with a sneering smile. "Lt. Adama," he said. "Captain Paret, we met at the O Club that time."

"I remember, sir," said Lee.

"So, may I cut in?" asked Paret.

Before Kara could answer, Lee spoke up. "Sorry, sir," he said, turning to smile at Kara. "Her dance card is full."

Kara smiled at Lee. "Gods, I love him," she thought.

"I think I'd like to hear that from her, Lieutenant Adama," said Paret.

"You have your answer, Captain," said Kara. "I'd suggest you look elsewhere. Come on, Lee, let's get a drink."

"Now that's not very courteous, Lieutenant Thrace," said Paret, who caught Kara by the shoulder. This brought an immediate and forceful response from Lee, who knocked Paret's hand off of Kara's shoulder, and pushed Paret away from Kara.

"Keep your hands off her!" said Lee, in an angry tone. He knew Kara's history with Paret, and did not like the way he was interfering with their enjoyment of the evening, and definitely did not like him touching Kara.

"Lee," said Kara, in a calming tone, putting her hand's on Lee's chest. The rest of the officers around them stopped dancing and stared in shock at the scene.

"I suggest you watch your tone, Lt. Adama," said Paret.

"I suggest you back off before I knock you on your ass," said Lee.

"What is going on?" asked Commander Adama, as he walked up to the scene.

Lee and Kara noticed everyone around them had stopped to see the altercation.

"Daddy comes to your rescue," whispered Paret to Lee in an attempt to goad him. Lee didn't take the bait.

"Sir," said Paret to Commander Adama. "Just a slight disagreement between Lt. Adama and myself. Nothing to be concerned about."

"Any disagreement that disrupts a formal military function is something to be concerned about," said Adama. He turned to look at Lee. "I thought better of you, Lieutenant."

Lee said nothing, but instead stood and looked at his father in silence. Paret, standing slightly behind the Commander, sneered with delight. Kara could take no more.

"Commander," she said. "Lee was provoked. Captain Paret asked me to dance, I didn't want to dance with him, but the Captain wouldn't take no for an answer. He grabbed me unexpectedly, and Lee expressed…concern."

Adama looked his son. "Is this true?"

Lee nodded. "Yes…sir. But you are right, and I will apologize to Admiral Nagala."

"In writing," said Adama. "Fortunately, he was in dispose, so he didn't see this. As for you, Captain Paret," he said, turning to Paret. "I'd suggest next time that you take no for an answer, and keep your hands to yourself. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," said Paret, the sneer now gone from his face.

The crowd broke up and went back to dancing and participating in the festivities. Lee and Kara decided to go outside to get away from the crowd for a while. The garden outside was large, and relatively empty save for a few people close to the back entrance to the mansion. They walked away from the mansion and into the outer part of the gardens.

"I'm sorry, Kara, that our evening got spoiled," said Lee.

"Who said our evening has been spoiled?" asked Kara. "I'm having a great time, Lee. Besides, its not every girl who gets to see her boyfriend stick up for her." She turned to him, pulled him into her embrace, and kissed him gently on the lips. "My protector," she joked.

"I don't know what happened," said Lee. "I just…I could have handled that better."

"Lee, Paret is a prick that doesn't deserve any more of our attention," said Kara.

They stood there for a few moments, just holding one another. Lee brought his hand to Kara's face, and cupped her cheek gently. He smiled at her, holding back for a moment, but finally deciding to risk saying what was on his mind.

"I love you, Kara," said Lee.

Kara's expression was unreadable to Lee. Inside of herself, Kara felt a storm of emotions, ranging from joy at hearing Lee say those words to fear that this might all be a dream that she would wake up from. She had to confirm what she heard.

"Did you say you love me?" asked Kara.

Lee brought Kara's face closer to his, and kissed her tenderly, but passionately, on the lips. As he broke their kiss, Lee smiled. "Yes, I did."

Tears began forming in Kara's eyes. "Do you mean that? Because, I mean…if you didn't mean what you just said…"

Lee kissed away a tear that fell down Kara's cheek, then kissed her on her forehead, then once again on her mouth. "I mean it, Kara. I love you."

"Lee, no one…ever…has said that to me," said Kara. "Well, not since I was very little. At least…no one said it with any real meaning."

"You deserve to hear it," said Lee. "You deserve to be loved, by someone far better than I am."

Kara laughed slightly at the thought. "As if there could be anyone better than you," she said, caressing Lee's cheek with her fingers. "My beautiful man. My Lee." She kissed him with more feeling than she has ever kissed Lee before. "Gods, Lee Adama. I am so frakking in love with you it scares me."

Lee let out a small laugh, filled with joy. "You said it, Kara. You…you love me."

Kara nodded. "Yeah," she said. "I love you."

They kissed each other one more time, then just held each other for a long time. Finally, Kara looked up at the man she loved. "Lee, take me home. Make love to me."

Later that night, Lee and Kara held each other in their bed. Kara's head rested on Lee's chest, and he had his arms wrapped protectively around her. They're love making both exhausted them and filled them with more life than either of them had ever felt. They didn't sleep for a while, but instead enjoyed holding one another as they began a new chapter in their relationship.

End of Chapter Ten. Chapter Eleven coming soon. As always, feedback/reviews are welcomed and very much appreciated.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven:**

Kara was finishing the post-flight check on her Viper, having just put her nuggets through the ringer in orbit above Picon. Kara was quite pleased with them, and proud that she was going to be sending a few more qualified flight officers to the Colonial Fleet.

After signing the post-flight check form, Kara handed the clipboard it was on to the crew chief and headed towards the building containing the pilots' showers and locker rooms. But as she walked away from her Viper, she saw a familiar form walking towards her. Kara's face lit up, as it tended to do whenever Lee was around.

"Hi," he said, walking up to her.

"Hey, baby," she said, pulling him in for a quick kiss on the lips. "What brings you here? Thought you would catch a chance to frak me in my flight suit and fulfill some deep, dark fantasy of yours?"

Lee chuckled. "Sounds interesting. But that's not why I'm here."

"Let's walk and talk," she said, taking his arm and leading him towards her intended destination. "After I catch a quick shower and change, you can take me to dinner. Make it a nice one, and I'll let you have your way with me later."

"You'd let me anyway," said Lee.

"But if I don't get a nice dinner, I'll make you beg for it first," said Kara. "And that would be humiliating for a soon-to-be promoted Captain who just finished Colonial War College."

"That's what I wanted to tell you about," said Lee. "I got word from my mother today. She's coming to the ceremony."

"I thought you said she couldn't make it," said Kara.

"She dropped her business trip plans to come," said Lee. "I think it was to make up for the fact my Dad can't come."

"And she wants to see her son make Captain," said Kara.

"And she wants to meet you," said Lee. "Considering I've told her all about you, and that I'm madly in love with you."

"Oh, joy," said Kara. "She's going to come, see what kind of girl you've hooked up with, and put me in a room under hot lights to convince me to get lost."

Lee's face got serious. "You had better be joking."

"Half," said Kara, looking down.

Lee stopped her, pulled her close to him, and leaned his forehead against hers. "She is going to love you. Partly because I do, and partly because you are a very special woman. My Mom's pretty smart. She'll see it, just like I do. My Dad liked you."

"Your Dad would not be a great reference of opinion for your Mom right now, Lee."

Lee's face took on a sad expression, thinking of his parent's divorce.

"Sorry, Lee, I…"

"Its okay," he said. "Would you quit worrying about meeting my Mom. You two are going to get along great."

Kara smiled. "She better not find out what I've been doing to her baby boy though." She leaned in and kissed Lee just behind his earlobe, right in the place she knows will drive him crazy.

"Um, so much for making me buy you dinner, huh?" asked Lee.

Kara pulled away from Lee's neck and continued walking with him on her arm.

"Something else, Kara," said Lee. "Do you have any leave time saved up?"

"Plenty," said Kara. "You accumulate quite a bit when you have no family to go home and visit. Why?"

"Put in for some starting the day after my promotion ceremony," said Lee. "I have a little surprise for you."

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Kara ended up getting along with Lee's mother famously. In fact, at one point during the visit, they told Lee to take off so they could talk. He came back a few hours later to find them laughing as Mrs. Adama told Kara a story about Lee when he was a little kid. Consequently, Kara teased Lee about it incessantly ever since. When it came time to pin on Lee's Captains insignia, Mrs. Adama and Kara did it together.

That was two days ago. After Mrs. Adama left to go home, Kara and Lee packed their own bags and headed off to enjoy Lee's surprise. The Peloponnesian Mountains of northern Caprica were considered to be one of the most beautiful places of natural beauty in the colonies. Mrs. Adama's family, being rather more than financially well off, owned a piece of land and a two-story cabin in the mountains. Lee always remembered family outings there when he was a boy, playing with his brother and his cousins while his maternal grandfather barbecued hamburgers and hot dogs. Now, Lee was taking his girl there for a special weekend.

On their first evening there, Lee and Kara made love in front of the fireplace in the cabin's downstairs main room. Laying on a soft rug, with blankets draped over them, they shared each other with only the light of the fire to illuminate them. Afterward, they lay looking at the fire together, with Kara laying half on top of Lee, curled up in his arms. Lee ran his hands through Kara's hair, enjoying the silky feel of it between his fingers.

"So," said Kara, "CAPTAIN Adama." They both chuckled. Kara was having a lot of fun calling Lee that for some reason. "When you were playing here as a child, did you ever imagine you would be bringing a reasonably hot looking girl up here and frakking her on the floor of the living room?"

Lee chuckled. "No, never."

Kara looked up at Lee's face with a mischievous smile. "Oh, come on. I bet you used to lay in your bed and fantasize about it." Kara ran her hands down Lee's body, and started kissing his neck. "Maybe a sexy girl you knew in high school. One that you used to think about naked and sweaty and writhing underneath you."

"Well, maybe," said Lee.

"Too bad I didn't know you then," said Kara. "I would have rocked your world."

"Like you do now," said Lee. "You know what? None of my fantasies that I have ever had about women equal the sheer joy I feel being with you. Not just here, but anywhere we are together. I watch you sometimes as you are eating dinner, or filling out paperwork, or sleeping in my arms. And I thank the gods that you are mine. I love you, Kara."

"I love you, too," she replied, as she kissed his cheek. "More than I have loved anyone in my whole life. Whatever I did that pleased the gods enough to bring you into my life, it wasn't enough."

Both of them lingered in thoughtful silence for a while. Finally, Lee gently extracted himself from Kara's embrace and got up to walk across the room.

"Lee, not that I don't appreciate the glorious view of your bare ass in the firelight," said Kara, "But where are you going?"

Lee went to his coat, laying on the couch, and pulled something out of one of its pockets. He turned and walked back over to Kara and lay back down with her. "Kara, I got my posting assignment. I'm to report to the Atlantia in two weeks."

Kara sat up and looked away from Lee, realizing what that last statement meant. She always knew in the back of her mind that her time with Lee here on Picon was limited. He would have to be transferred to a battlestar for field command training if he was ever to be a CAG. She wouldn't see him every day anymore; wouldn't live with him anymore. Kara worried about this event, wondering that if Lee were away from her he would realize that he didn't want her on a permanent basis. Dumping someone long distance is a hell of a lot easier than doing it looking at them. But maybe Lee was dumping her now, at least having the decency to tell her in person.

"So, that's it, huh," she said.

"What's it?" asked Lee.

"Our time together," said Kara.

Lee sensed Kara's apprehension. He gently took Kara's chin, and turned her face towards him. "Nothing ends here, Kara. I'm not going to stop loving you just because I am further away from you. But I did want to do something to make sure you know that I am with you for keeps. That's one reason why I brought this with me."

He held up a small black box. Kara looked at it for a moment, as Lee gestured for her to take it. When she finally did take it, Kara hesitated to open it. Finally, she did, and a feeling of pure warmth ran through her body. In the box was a diamond ring.

"Will you marry me, Kara? That way, no matter how far apart we are, we will truly be together."

"You want to marry me because you have to be away from me," said Kara.

"I want to marry you because I love you," said Lee. "I am in love with you, and I will always be in love with you. I want to lay in bed with you when we are eighty years old. In the time between now and then, I want to be your husband. I want to make a home with you, and not just one that is made up of a house we would share together. It would be a home in our hearts, where the two of us would be together no matter where we are. And we would fill our home with our children."

Kara looked at Lee in shock. "You see me mothering your children. You want to have babies with me."

"Damned right I do," said Lee. "You are the only woman I would ever want children with. When I think of my child, I think of a baby with your eyes and your smile and your strength. But Kara, whether we have children or not, I want you. You hear me. I want you so badly."

"What if having me is not a great as wanting me?" asked Kara.

"Kara, I've had you in a way for several months now," said Lee. "And I have never been happier in my life. So being married to you could only make me even happier."

"You really think of us together when we are eighty?" she asked.

"You bet," said Lee. "And still horny as hell for one another. And still madly in love with one another."

Kara looked at the ring, then looked at Lee. "He is everything I have ever wanted," thought Kara. "Why do I hesitate?" She could hear her mother in the back of her mind, telling her she was garbage. That this guy would tire of her crap and dump her; probably pregnant with some bastard child he didn't want. But then, Lee's words to her pushed away her mother's taunts. " 'I want to make a home with you…and we would fill our home with our children.'"

Finally, Kara realized that Lee was the answer to her life. He was the man she was destined to meet, destined to be with. Finally, Kara had a home. A home with Lee Adama by her side.

"Yes," she breathed out quietly.

"What?" asked Lee, not sure he heard her.

"Yes, Lee," she said with a huge smile. "I'll marry you. I may not be a great Suzy Homemaker type of wife, but whatever kind of wife I'll make. I'll be your wife."

Lee pulled the ring out of the box, and put it on her finger. He was rushing, almost afraid Kara would change her mind. Then, after the ring was on her finger, Lee held Kara close to him as the most precious thing in his life. They were both laughing and crying at the same time. They were together and happy, and filled with dreams of a bright future.

End of Chapter Eleven. Chapter Twelve coming soon. As always, feedback/reviews are welcomed and appreciated.


	12. Chapter 12

**Things were going to so well for Lee and Kara. Ahh! Now its time to throw a wrench into things! Read on.**

**By the way, for those who have asked, yes the holocaust is a part of this story and is coming soon, so stay tuned. I think you will find the results interesting.**

**Chapter Twelve:**

"Mom, I'm telling you she doesn't want a big wedding," said Lee. He was speaking on the phone with his mother several days after he and Kara returned home from their vacation. When Lee told his mother about their engagement, and that they wanted to get married next week before Lee shipped out for the Atlantia, Mrs. Adama began to frantically plan the wedding since Kara's mother wasn't around to help her do it. But Kara just wanted a simple ceremony with Lee's family and a few of their friends.

"Mother, I know you mean well but she has made it very clear that she doesn't want a big wedding," he said. "Yes it will be a religious ceremony. The priestess Kara goes to has already agreed to do the ceremony. Look, mom, I'll have Kara talk to you about this when she gets home. She should have been here by now, so I want to call her office and see if she is still there. Yes, Mom, I know. I love you, too. Bye."

Lee hung up the phone, and ran his hands through his hair. "Why couldn't we have just eloped?" he thought. Kara was amenable to the idea originally, but Lee insisted that they not run off like they were hiding. Now Lee was having second thoughts.

As Lee started to dial Kara's office, a knock at the door called him away from the phone. He answered the door and found Shane Flavia.

"Shane, hi," said Lee. "What's up?"

"Big trouble, Lee!" she said, shoving past him into the living room.

Lee shut the door. "What are you talking about?"

"Lee, Kara is in the brig!" said Shane.

"WHAT!" Lee replied. "How the FRAK did that happen!"

"She punched Captain Paret."

"Oh for FRAK's sake," said Lee, as he grabbed his uniform blouse and headed for the door. "Where is the brig on this base?"

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Kara Thrace sat on the bunk of her cell; her body leaning up against the wall the bunk was attached to. She sat there, staring at the walls, wondering how she could have ended up here. She knew why she was there, of course. She let Paret get to her. She lost self-control.

About an hour after she was put in that cell, Kara heard the door to the cellblock open. The guard stepped in the door and walked over to Kara's cell. "Lt. Thrace, you have a visitor."

The guard stepped out the door he came in. A few seconds later, Lee came in the cellblock door. He slowly walked over to her cell. Kara just sat on her bunk and stared at him, trying to figure his mood since Lee's face carried no hint of emotion. He was good at that when needed.

It was Kara who finally broke the silence. "So, come to bail me out?"

Lee didn't react at first. Finally, he responded. "There is no bail, Kara. This is a military jail."

Kara hung her head down and put her hands on the back of her neck in frustration. "No shit, Sherlock," she said. "I was trying to lighten the mood."

"Lighten the mood," said Lee. "You are sitting in jail for assaulting a superior officer, and you feel like lightening the mood. You get yourself thrown in the brig days before our wedding, and you want to lighten the mood!"

Lee's tone was angry, and it was accusatory. Kara didn't like it, and stood up with a sarcastic reply in mind.

"I was bored, Lee," she said, walking up to the bars. "So I decided to punch Captain Paret for the hell of it. I figured it could make our wedding interesting. You know, put the ring on my finger through the bars."

"Knock it off, Kara! For frak's sake, how could you do this? How could you let this happen?"

Kara gave Lee an incredulous look. Finally, she just decided to turn around and walk back to her bunk. "I'm a screw up, Lee. Try to remember that."

She lay down on the bunk, her hands behind her head, and let out a deep breath. Lee stared at her for several long moments. As he did, Lee realized he took the wrong tact with the situation. He decided to try and regroup.

"I'm sorry," he said, leaning his head against the bars. "I didn't mean to lecture you. I'm sure you already feel bad enough as it is."

"Now I do," she said, still staring at the ceiling. "But in those first few moments after I hit him, it was incredibly satisfying."

"Why did you hit him?" asked Lee.

"He did what he had done before," said Kara. "Taunted me because I wouldn't sleep with him and that I am with you. He accused me of being an expensive whore who was marrying you to get in good with a battlestar commander, and that I must have gotten you to marry me because I was good in bed. He accused me of practicing a lot to get that good. He reduced my engagement to you to some form of prostitution. He pushed my buttons just right, and I just lost it."

Lee was furious, but not with Kara. "He goaded you," said Lee. "He's probably getting a big laugh over this. Son of a bitch!"

"Yeah, that's when the satisfaction from hitting him wore off," said Kara. "When I realized that I gave him what he wanted. A chance to put me in hack. To humiliate me."

Lee started pacing around, thinking about what to do. Kara sat up on the bunk and watched him, realizing that he was dealing with a lot of pent up anger. "What are you thinking?"

"Of different ways to pound Paret's skull into the pavement!" replied Lee.

"Oh, that's smart," said Kara. "Then we can be cell mates and you can kiss those new Captain's insignia goodbye."

Lee stopped in his tracks, and then turned to look at Kara. "You're right," said Lee. "Paret's got to know I'm not too happy with him right about now. He's probably expecting me to come and deal with him. What are my two obvious options if I did that?"

"Well, the first would be you would attack him," said Kara. "Which would land you in the brig, like I said."

"Or I come begging to him to drop the charges," said Lee. "Either way, he humiliates me, too. He'd love that, because I'm the guy who got the woman he wanted to have."

"It would make his victory complete," said Kara.

"But maybe I can use that," said Lee. He walked over to the bars of the cell. "Come here."

Kara walked over to the bars. Lee reached through them to pull Kara's head closer to his. He kissed her on the lips. "I'll take care of this," he said. "I've got a plan."

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Later that evening, Paret was sitting in his office working on some paperwork. His jaw was killing him, but he didn't mind the pain. Instead, every time it started to hurt, he would think of Kara Thrace in the brig, and his spirits would brighten up. If all went well, the un-attainable Thrace would be in his bed within a week. He would make it the price for her freedom, and for him dropping the charges. Then she could go off and marry her handsome prince as she had planned. Even if she didn't go for it, it would still give him satisfaction to frak up her wedding plans with Captain Daddy's Boy.

The door to his office opened, and Paret looked up. "I've been expecting you," said Paret, as Lee Adama stepped into the office. "Come to stand up for your fair lady, Captain Adama?"

"I guess you could say that," said Lee, as he shut the door behind him.

"All alone here, with the rest of the staff gone for the night," said Paret. "You must be here to beat me up. No one around to interfere."

"Why would I want to do that?" asked Lee. "Kara was the one who hit you."

Paret laughed. "Come on, Adama. We both know why she did. She probably told you all about me, considering your reaction when I touched her shoulder at the ball. Did she cry to you because the mean old Captain Paret was picking on her?"

"She told me some things," said Lee. "Tell me, why did you have to keep harassing and pressuring her after she wouldn't go out with you?"

"You must know the thrill of conquering a woman like Thrace," said Paret. "All filled with fire and confidence. Getting into her pants would be quite an achievement, and quite an experience I'd bet. Congratulations to you, by the way. For getting in her pants."

"I didn't conquer Kara," said Lee. "I treated her with respect and love and kindness. To my good fortune, she fell in love with me as I fell in love with her."

"You mean to tell me that when you are frakking her," said Paret, "the idea of having a woman like that in your bed doesn't light your manhood on fire. I mean, the cast iron balls it must take to Frak that tough cunt of hers!"

"I'm not going to stand here and discuss my sex life with Kara with you!" said Lee, with a tone of increasing anger. "I came here to ask you to do the decent thing and drop the charges. You goaded her into hitting you. You know it!"

"Tell me, Adama," said Paret, ignoring Lee's entreaty. "When you are pounding away into her, is she a moaner or a screamer? Or does she make those little mewling noises?" He mimicked such a noise by going "uh, uh, uh."

Lee stepped towards Paret in a threatening manner. "You're a pig!" he spat out.

"No, I just know what women are good for," said Paret. "And when one won't go quietly, I make sure they regret it. What now? You gonna beat me up for it, big man?"

"So you goaded Kara into hitting you and getting herself thrown in the brig because she wouldn't sleep with you?"

"Exactly," said Paret. "It worked like a charm, too."

Suddenly, a smile spread across Lee's face. "Thank you very much, Paret. That's exactly what I wanted to hear."

"What?" asked Paret, a sense of confusion coming over him, caused by the apparent change in Lee's mood.

Lee pulled a small tape recorder out of his pocket. "I've got it all right here," he said, clicking the off button. "Your confession on tape. Now we can file charges against you."

A look of fury came over Paret's face. "You little bastard! You set me up!"

"Sure as hell did," said Lee, with a chuckle. "And you fell for it. You know, if you are going to break the law, you shouldn't brag about it. And you have admitted to breaking several regulations on this tape. Enough to ruin your career."

Paret looked at the tape recorder, and then smirked. "That is an illegal recording," he said. "It will get thrown out if you try to use it as evidence against me. And even if you do press charges against me, and convict me of those charges; my charge against Thrace is still legitimate. She assaulted a superior officer."

"But your career would be in the toilet once this gets out either way," said Lee. "However, if you saw fit to drop the charges against Kara, well…this little tape might accidentally get lost. If you read me."

"And how do I know you won't sandbag me later?" asked Paret.

"Well, I guess you would have to count on the ability of Kara and myself to forgive and forget," replied Lee in quiet, serious tone.

Paret went behind his desk, sat down, and started handwriting a note on a piece of paper. When finished, he handed it to Lee. "Here," he said. "I'll type it up and give it to Commander Watkins, the Presiding Authority, in the morning. Satisfied?"

"I will be," said Lee, as he handed back the short a sweet memo dropping the charge. "After it's delivered and accepted."

"Do I get the tape?" asked Paret.

"Yes," said Lee. "But Kara will hang on to a copy of it, just in case she hears of you ever harassing a female officer like you harassed her. Then it just might re-surface."

Lee turned and headed out of the office. "Adama!" shouted Paret. "You may win this round, but that bitch of yours is trouble! Mark my words!"

Lee ignored Paret and closed the door behind him on his way out.

End of Chapter Twelve. Chapter Thirteen coming soon. As always, feeback/reviews are welcomed and appreciated.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes: For those who predicted more trouble ahead for Lee and Kara, you are right. But hope also comes, and a destined path is taken by one of them in this chapter. Read on to find out more.**

**Chapter Thirteen:**

Lee sat in the waiting room outside of Commander Watkins' office the next day. Kara was inside now with Captain Paret and the Commander. Paret delivered his memo to Watkins requesting that the charges against Kara be dropped. The Commander insisted that both Paret and Kara see him in his office. Lee came along to give Kara moral support, even though he couldn't be in the office with her.

After an agonizingly long wait, Kara came out of the office, with Captain Paret not far behind. Paret walked through the waiting area quickly, but not before giving Lee a rather sly smile. Lee saw his expression, and then looked at Kara. While Paret seemed pleased, Kara was not. He could tell that Kara was upset.

"Kara, what…"

"Not here, Lee. Outside."

Kara grabbed Lee's hand and they walked out of the Flight School HQ building. When they got outside, they headed for a small park nearby dedicated to pilots who died in the service of the colonies. A large monument of a Mark II Viper dominated the park, surrounded by trees and bed of colorful flowers. But they didn't take time to enjoy the setting. Instead, they stepped over to a secluded area of the park. Kara sat down on the bench, her body language spelling feelings of confusion and uncertainty. Lee sat beside her, and took her hands in his own.

"What happened in there?" asked Lee.

"Paret dropped the charges," said Kara. "But Commander Watkins was not satisfied with the fact Paret didn't want to press charges anymore. Watkins brought me in before Paret and dressed me down in front of him. Cited my history of insubordinate behavior, and that despite my performance as an instructor, striking my CO was too grave an offense for Watkins to overlook. Paret's dropping of the charges saved me from prison time or from a dishonorable discharge. But Watkins has other discretionary powers. He used them. Watkins has revoked by Instructor qualifications. I can't be posted here anymore. He has also removed me from flight status, demoted me to Junior Lieutenant, and has put a 404 letter of reprimand in my file."

"A 404. Kara, with that on your file…"

"Every potential CO at every potential flight posting will look at that, and throw my application for the posting in the trash," finished Kara. "It's a career killer. He might as well have thrown me out because the best posting I can hope for would be supervising the sewage treatment facility at a Colonial Base."

"I can't believe this," said Lee. "I thought…I thought I had been able to help you, and it wasn't good enough."

Kara looked at Lee, and cupped his cheek with her hand. "Hey," she said. "You kept me out of the brig, and risked getting yourself in deep shit for me in the process. Don't short-change that, because I sure as hell don't discount it."

Lee pulled Kara close to him, and put his arms around her. "At least I don't have to hold you through bars. You're right. That's a definite plus."

Kara chuckled slightly, and then just leaned her head on Lee's shoulder. Several moments went by until Lee started to hear quiet sobs coming from his shoulder. Lee immediately pulled her closer, and kissed the top of her head.

"I'm sorry, baby," he said. "I'm really sorry."

"Kara Thrace fraks up again," she said. "I should be used to it. Maybe my Mom was right, you know. I'm a curse. You should run as fast as you can."

Lee responded by kissing her on the lips, and tightening his grip on her. "I'm not going anywhere. I love you. And if you try to run from me, I'll chase you down and tackle you. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," she said with a slight chuckle.

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Two days later, Lee and Kara were sitting in the waiting area of the main terminal at the Picon Fleet Headquarters Space Port. Ships were constantly coming and going from this facility, as colonial officers and dependants made their way from this base to another somewhere in the 12 colonies, or to one of the fleet's many battlestars and support ships. In the hustle and bustle, Lee and Kara just sat quietly while waiting to be called to one of the landing areas used for Raptors.

"He wouldn't tell you why he wanted to see us," said Kara. "He just expects us to jump on a Raptor he sends and fly out to see him. We just have to drop everything."

"Well, we don't have much to drop," said Lee. "You've been relieved of duty. I'm just waiting to take up my new post on the Atlantia, and our wedding isn't for another three days. Besides, he's a battlestar commander. They're used to getting their way with no explanations necessary."

A bell sound came over the intercom, alerting that an announcement was coming. "Captain Adama, Lt. Thrace, please report to landing pad I-4 ASAP."

"Let's go," said Lee.

They walked through the terminal for several minutes and finally got to their landing pad. When they got there, they found a tall Lieutenant in a flight suit waiting for them.

"Captain Adama, sir," he said, coming to attention and saluting Lee. Lee returned the salute. Kara then saluted him, since the main was a senior lieutenant while Kara was now a junior lieutenant. "Lt. Thrace," the officer continued. "I'm Lt. Karl Agathon of the Galactica. You can call me Helo. Commander Adama sends his compliments. My pilot and I are to take you to the Galactica. If you'll follow me."

As they walked out towards the Raptor, Kara tried to probe the Lieutenant for information. "Any idea why the Commander has asked to see us?"

"Not my department, Lieutenant," said Helo. "I'm just one of your chauffeurs."

As they climbed in the Raptor, Helo introduced the pilot. "Captain, Lieutenant, the guy in the front seat is Flat Top. He'll be doing the driving."

"Welcome aboard," he said. "Please make sure your tray tables are in the full up and locked position, and extinguish all smoking materials. We are about to take off."

Kara smirked. "You must be the ship's comedian."

"No, he just thinks he's funny," said Helo, working at his console.

"Hey, hey, I'm not taking that kind of guff from a back seat wanna be," said Flat Top.

"Dad must have sent these two to cheer you up," said Lee, to Kara.

The flight to the Galactica took about an hour. Once the Raptor left Picon's atmosphere, they performed a hyper-jump to get to the Galactica, which was patrolling in the sector near Caprica. During the flight, the four officers in the Raptor engaged in congenial conversation.

When they arrived in Galactica's landing bay, Lee and Kara stepped out of the Raptor and were greeted by a young female crewman. "Captain Adama, Lt. Thrace. I'm Crewman Dualla. I've been ordered to escort you both to Commander Adama's quarters. Please follow me."

They followed the young woman through the corridors of the Galactica. Lee had been on board once before, but Kara never had been. She had been on battlestars before, but they were the new ones built since the Cylon War. This was one of the originals, the last still in service. Kara couldn't help but feel the sense of history permeating the walls of the old ship, as she thought about the battles she learned about in the academy's military history classes. She learned about this ship's exploits in classes. Now, she was walking down its corridors.

"Gods, Lee, remember reading about this ship at the Battle of Sagitaron," said Kara. "This ship fended off three base ships and protected the colony until the Columbia and Versaria arrived to support it."

"I never knew you were such a history buff," said Lee.

"Lee, this ship is a legend," said Kara. "Then again, so is your father, so you are probably used to being around all that history."

"Yeah," said Lee, with less than an enthusiastic reply. "You kind of get tired of it after hearing it all your life though."

Dualla left them at the door of the Commander's quarters after knocking to announce they were there. A gruff sounding "come in" came from the inside. Lee and Kara stepped through the door. Commander Adama was working at his desk when they walked in. He stood up and reached out his hand to Lee. 

"Son," said Adama. "It's good to see you."

"You too," said Lee.

"Those Captain's insignia look good on you," said Adama, with a smile. "I wish I could have been there for your promotion ceremony, but I damned proud of you. I hope you know that."

"Thank you, sir," said Lee.

Adama looked at Kara. "And my future daughter-in-law. Its good to meet you once again."

"And you, sir," said Kara. "I must say I'm glad you ordered us to come here. I've never been aboard the Galactica before, and…well, this ship is a legend."

"Yes, I guess it is," said Adama. "Well, I didn't ask you here because I just wanted to see you or to give you a tour. If you two will sit down."

After sitting back down, Adama offered them glasses of water. They both took them, and the Commander leaned back against his desk. "Kara, I'm aware of your current situation. Your demotion and the 404 now in your file. Do you feel Commander Watkins was hard on you?"

"I sure as hell do," said Lee.

"What about you, Kara?" asked Adama.

"Well, sir," said Kara. "I guess I deserved something for hitting Paret. But I was provoked, sir, although I couldn't really prove it."

Lee and Kara both knew that last part was a lie, but they also knew Lee's little secret taping of his conversation with Paret could not be spoken of to anyone. That was part of the deal, which Paret had kept his end of despite Watkins' later action.

"I gathered that," said Adama. "I know your record makes you look like a hot-head, but hitting a superior officer in public for no good reason would be sheer stupidity. You don't strike me as being a stupid person. Besides, from what I know of Paret, including the time I meet him at the Colonial Day Ball, the man strikes me as being a first-class prick."

Kara chuckled. "Perfect description, sir."

Adama reached over to pick up a file from his desk. He opened it. "I've read your record thoroughly, lieutenant. I started to after you flunked Zack out of the flight program. I wanted to make sure your judgment was from sound experience as a pilot and instructor. When I found it was, I was just going to close your file, but your record had me curious. You set several records when you were a flight cadet that still haven't been broken. I requested copies of some of your flight tapes. I watched you pull of some magnificent aerial maneuvers in simulated combat. You may be a little rebellious, but you are also one hell of a pilot. Perhaps the best I have ever seen."

"Thank you, sir," said Kara. "I appreciate that coming from you. But, unfortunately, I don't see how that helps my current situation."

"Normally a 404 on your file would keep any commander from considering an officer for a field posting," said Adama. "But it doesn't prohibit a commander from overlooking the 404 and chosing the officer anyway. It's just not done very much. However, I feel that the service might just be losing a good officer and a damned fine pilot because she was provoked into an error in judgment. So, I am offering a flight billet on the Galactica."

"Wha…what?" asked Kara, in complete shock.

"Dad, you want Kara on the Galactica?" asked Lee. "Can you do that?"

"Of course I can," said Adama. "I have a few openings. Most young pilots want to fly on the newer battlestars, so they don't exactly flock to this old bucket. Kara is a qualified candidate for the position."

"Sir, I have to ask," said Kara. "Are you offering me this just because I'm engaged to your son?"

"No," said Adama, immediately. "I wouldn't offer the position unless I wanted you here as one of my pilots. I think you could be a real asset. Plus, I was once in a similar position to the one you are in now. Out of the game, with scarce hopes of a second chance to get back in it. When that chance came, it was pure luck and right timing. Now I'm offering you another chance. You fly well for me here, you could earn back your senior lieutenant rank. If you excel here, then your past transgressions might be overlooked when it came time for you to transfer to another billet."

"Dad," said Lee. "Not that I don't think this would be a great opportunity for Kara, but I can't believe fleet command would approve of her being posted here. She is, after all, going to be your daughter-in-law in a matter of days."

Adama put down the file on the desk, took off his glasses, and looked pointedly at the two officers sitting in front of him. He looked at them for a few moments before finally responding to Lee's statement. "You're right, Lee. It wouldn't be allowed. Which means that you two are going to have to make a decision. Kara could refuse the billet; end up in some dead-end post where she'll eventually be forced out. But she would be married to you, and the two of you could start that part of your life together. Or, Kara could chose to accept the posting here. But in order to do that, the two of you could not get married. At least, not until Kara's tour on the Galactica was done."

"That would be at least a year," said Kara.

"Correct," said Adama. "Maybe longer, depending upon whether or not the tour would need to be extended according to the needs of the fleet."

Kara and Lee looked around the room, trying to find answers in the air or the walls, but would not look at each other. Adama just watched them contemplating their options, a feeling of sadness deep inside him for what they were going through. Finally, it was Kara who broke the silence.

"We wouldn't be together much after the wedding anyway," said Kara. "With you on the Atlantia."

"I guess," said Lee. "And I know your career is important to you. It's important to me, too. This is a great opportunity for you."

"I would remind you two of something else," said Adama. "You might not be married, but when you do get opportunities to see each other; well, what one of my officers does off duty is her own business."

"We could still see each other," said Kara. "If you still wanted to."

"Of course I would," said Lee, finally looking at her. "We would be together. Maybe not legally yet, but the two of us would still be committed to one another."

Kara looked at him with an expression of sadness and happiness. "I hate having to postpone our marriage, Lee. But at the same time, I want to do this. I want to serve here. To take this chance."

Lee nodded, took her hands in his, and kissed her on the cheek. "Then you had better accept," said Lee. "But know this much. Our wedding is not cancelled. Just postponed."

"You're damned right it's only postponed," said Kara. "You can't get rid of me that easily. Someday, I am going to marry you, Captain Adama. You are stuck with me."

"Lucky for me," said Lee, leaning in to kiss Kara on the lips.

After a few moments, Adama made a coughing noise, reminding the young lovers he was still there. "Oh, sorry, Dad," said Lee.

Adama smiled. "It's okay. I can see grandchildren coming in my future if you keep that up."

Lee and Kara looked at each other and chuckled with disbelief. The old man actually had a sense of humor.

"Lt. Thrace," said Adama, "return to Picon, collect your gear. Report to the Galactica tomorrow."

Kara stood up, came to attention, and saluted. "Yes, sir."

Adama held out his hand to Kara. The latter took it in a firm handshake. "Welcome aboard the Galactica, Starbuck," he said.

End of Chapter Thirteen. Chapter Fourteen coming soon. As always, feedback/reviews are welcomed and appreciated.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes: When I originally came up with the idea of this story, I was going to end it where Chapter Thirteen ended. However, with the great response I got when I started posting chapters of this story, and with some people curious about whether this was going to go into the time frame of the miniseries and series, I decided to go ahead an extend the story forward in time. The remaining chapters of the story are the end result. Some elements will be AU, obviously because the fact that Zack didn't die and Lee and Kara are romantically involved where the story intersects with the series' timeframe. But other elements come directly from events of the show, so you will recognize familiar scenes and dialogue with different twists thrown in to fit the new circumstances. But other story elements, scenes, and events will be different from the show due to the AU nature of the story. I also don't plan a play-by-play of events from the show in the story because we all know about what happens in other scenes not involving Lee and Kara or elements orbiting their relationship. I hope what results will be just as readable as the previous chapters have been.**

**Chapter Fourteen:**

(14 months later)

Captain Lee Adama flew over the Galactica in his Viper on his approach run. His gaze fell over the lines of the old warship, now soon to be a museum. "Doesn't seem right," he thought. "The old girl is too proud for that."

He was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of Galactica approach control, calling him in for a hands-on landing. "Some things never change," he thought with a smile.

When his Viper was brought onto the Galactica's main hangar deck, Lee opened the canopy of his ship and removed his flight helmet. He then stood up, removed his gloves, and climbed down the ladder brought to the side of his craft by deckhands. Standing at the bottom of the ladder was Chief Tyrol.

"Sir," saluted Chief Tyrol. "Good to see you again, sir. Welcome back aboard the Galactica."

Lee returned the salute with a smile. "Chief Tyrol. Good to see you again, too."

"Your father sends his regards, and apologizes that he couldn't be here to meet you himself," said Chief Tyrol. "He had to meet the Secretary of Education, who is arriving for the decommissioning ceremony."

"Yes, the Galactica will be under her department when it becomes a museum," said Lee.

"Yes, sir," said Chief Tyrol, dourly.

Lee smiled knowingly. "I know how you feel. She's a warship, not a floating tourist attraction."

"My thoughts exactly, sir," said Chief Tyrol

"So, have you seen Lt. Thrace? She was supposed to meet me when I landed."

"She's…in the brig, sir," said Chief Tyrol.

Lee looked at the Chief with a mixture of irritation and amusement. "Frak, what's she done this time?"

"She decked the XO at a card game, sir," said the Chief.

Lee let out a deep sigh. "At least she could have controlled herself today. I haven't seen her for two months."

"When's the wedding, sir, if I may ask?" asked Chief Tyrol.

"A week from tomorrow, on Caprica," said Lee. "That is, if she isn't court martialed before I can marry her."

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Tyrol, Lee made his way through the Galactica's corridors, heading for the ship's brig. The Chief was good enough to give him directions, for the straight-laced young Captain had never been to Galactica's brig. He said hello to several people along the way that he knew from his semi-frequent visits to the ship to see his Father and fiancée.

"Of all the days, Kara," he thought, as his course took him ever closer to the brig. He didn't know if he was going to scream at her or kiss her when he got there.

Their romance survived the year since they had to postpone their wedding and the distance between them was alleviated by Lee's visits to the Galactica, hers to the Atlantia, and shared leaves spent on romantic getaways. Lee's career continued to flourish on the Altantia, where he was about to be appointed to the position of ship's CAG on the orders of Admiral Nagala himself. In the meantime, Kara had thrived on the Galactica, earning back her Senior Lieutenant's rank and the respect of her fellow pilots. Whenever she and Lee were together, she talked about how much she loved serving under Lee's father, and how the two of them got along like a house on fire. Sometimes, Lee almost felt jealous because Kara was closer to his father than he was. The only stumbling block was the ship's XO, Colonel Saul Tigh. He and Kara were constantly at odds with one another, and it took everything Kara had not to take things too far with the XO. Apparently, that control had broken down.

"I figured you would be headed this way," said a familiar voice to Lee. He turned and saw his father standing in a doorway with a smile on his face.

"Dad, hi," said Lee, saluting his Father.

"A 'hi, Dad' accompanied with a salute," said Commander Adama. "Trying to compromise the familial with military, huh?"

"Trying, sir," said Lee, as his father returned the salute. "I thought you had a meeting with the Secretary of Education."

"She's running late," said Adama. "Civilians. Can't tell time."

They both chuckled a little. Then, the Father continued.

"You heard about Kara, obviously" said Adama.

"Yes, sir," said Lee. "Dad, isn't there anything…"

"I'm trying to talk Colonel Tigh into dropping the charges," said Adama. "He's being stubborn, but if given time to cool off, I think he'll let it drop. His pride was hurt more than his face. He also did some things to provoke the assault. I've been extremely pleased with Kara in her time here, and don't want to see it ruined now by something so stupid."

"Leave it to Kara to do this a week before our wedding," said Lee. "I'm pissed at her but can't help but love the fire in her."

"Interesting conundrum," said Adama. "But its one you'll have to work out later. You have a flight briefing in ten minutes."

As if on cue, a voice came over the intercom calling Captain Lee Adama to the pilots' briefing room.

"Frak," said Lee.

"Don't worry," said Adama. "You'll get a chance to see her before you have to go. In the meantime, you'd better get to your briefing. Talk to you later."

"Yes, sir," said Lee, saluting then turning to walk back down the corridor the way he came.

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After the briefing, Lee finally found time to go and see Kara in the brig. He walked in and found her doing push-ups in her cell. He stood there for a moment, admiring the lithe strength of her body, thinking on the last time he made love to her. Two warm, sweaty bodies clung together in a dance of lovers that the two of them did so well. Lee remembered the feel of her cuddled in his arms after their lovemaking, as he kissed the top of her head and told her he loved her, receiving a mumbled "I love you" in return.

Finally, Lee snapped out of his thoughts and spoke to his fiancée.

"This seems familiar," said Lee.

Kara looked up. She didn't smile, but merely stood up and looked at Lee with a sort of half-amused expression. Most of the time, after long separations, Lee and Kara couldn't wait to get their hands on each other. This time, the bars got in the way of that. They also had a Marine guard for an audience.

"Captain Adama, sir," said Kara, half-formally. "Sorry I wasn't there to greet you with the rest of the squadron. Did they kiss your ass to your satisfaction?"

Lee smirked with amusement. "Gods, I love her," he thought. Then, he turned to the guard sitting at his desk. "Corporal, I believe you were ordered to give us some time."

"Yes, sir," said the Corporal, getting up to leave his post, handing Lee the keys on the way out.

After the guard left, Lee started fumbling with the keys to open the cell. "You know, the only person I want kissing my ass is you," he said, as he put the key in the lock. "Literally."

"That's not my favorite part of you to kiss," said Kara with a smile.

Then, when the door opened, they grabbed each other and started kissing each other wildly, all sense of decorum lost in the moment. They stayed that way for several moments, just grabbing, fondling, and tonguing each other's brains out. Finally, they broke their kiss, but not their hold on one another.

"Here to bust me out," she said, with a chuckle.

"I wish," said Lee.

"Think this bunk will support us both," she said, pulling him towards the bunk in the cell. "I can remind you what parts of you I like to kiss."

"I wish I had that kind of time," said Lee. "They've got me flying with the squadron for the ceremony in less than an hour, and I have some kind of photo op for the press with my Dad. By the way, he's working on Tigh, trying to get you out of here."

Kara smiled. "Old softy," she said. "I can't wait until I can call him Dad."

"I know," said Lee. "He already loves you like a daughter."

Then, they both got quiet, and just looked at each other. Kara broke the silence.

"I'm sorry, Lee," said Kara. "Not for striking that superior asshole, but…"

Lee laughed, kissing Kara once on the lips. "That's my Kara," he said. "How long have you been waiting to use that line?"

Kara laughed in return. "Most of the day," she said. "Lee, I just lost it, and…"

"Shh," said Lee, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "I have to admit to being kind of pissed with you. Seems like every time we plan a wedding you have to haul off and hit somebody. But hell, I can't help but love you for all you are, so you're forgiven. By me, at least. Colonel Tigh…well, we'll just have to work on that. It might help if you apologize to him."

"Frak that idea," she said.

"Kara," said Lee. "It might help to make sure you can marry me in a week, and not face a court martial."

Kara backed off. "No way, Lee," she said. "I am not apologizing to that drunken sot!"

"Okay, fine," said Lee. "You leave me no alternative. I'll have to go and punch him, too, so we'll end up in the brig together."

Kara looked at him with a bemused look. "Yeah, right."

"Not buying it, huh?" asked Lee.

"Not for a second," she said. Kara and Lee stared at one another, and Kara was clearly thinking things through. "Look, maybe I'll think about it."

"That's better," said Lee.

A page came over the speakers calling Captain Lee Adama to the conference room ASAP.

"Gotta go," said Lee, pulling Kara to him once more.

"Have a good flight," she said.

"They're letting me fly Dad's old Mark II," said Lee. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Yeah," said Kara, with a sigh of regret. "I wish I could see it."

Lee kissed Kara on the lips one last time. "I love you, Kara.

"I love you, too," she replied, kissing him back.

"One more week, Kara," said Lee.

Kara smiled. "Then you are mine, Captain Adama."

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A day later, all was chaos as the worlds were coming to an end around them. Kara was out of the brig, on the orders of the Commander, and had just fought the first real aerial battle of her life. She had survived it, but her craft was in pretty bad shape when she brought it into Galactica's main hangar bay.

"Lieutenant," said Chief Tyrol, as Kara climbed out of her Viper. "What did you do to my Viper?"

Kara didn't respond immediately. She was shocked at the condition of her fighter's engine, but didn't show it. "I was wondering why the engine gave out," she said nonchalantly.

"We're going to have to pull the whole mounting," said Tyrol. "Get the high lift," he said to one of his deck crew. Then, standing next to Kara, he said. "I don't know how you managed to fly this thing much less land it."

"That's not something I want to think about right now," she said. "Where's Prosna. He's gotta get that fracking gimble locked or I'll have his ass."

"He's dead, sir" replied the Chief solemnly. "He died in the fire."

"Frak," thought Kara. "Poor kid." Then, verbally, she asked, "How many did we loose?"

"Eighty-five," replied Tyrol.

"Hell of a butcher's bill," thought Kara. She kept her cool though and simply replied with a quick "right" before walking away to get out of her flight suit. She also wanted to check with the Commander to see if he had heard anything about Lee. As if on cue, Chief Tyrol spoke to her.

"Lieutenant," said the Chief.

Kara turned to face him with a look of consternation.

"Um, I don't know if I should be the one to tell you this, but before you hear it from someone else," said the Chief, looking for the words.

"Spit it out, huh Chief," replied Kara, with irritation.

"Its Captain Adama, Lieutenant," he replied.

Kara's heart fell into her stomach, as she stood there without reply. Her whole world was collapsing, as she understood the implications of the Chief's words and expression. Lee was among those lost on this terrible day, and Kara wanted to scream in agony. But she didn't flinch, didn't cry, didn't react openly. Instead, she held her emotions in check, and tried to speak.

"Right," she said curtly. "Um…any word on Sharon?"

It was all she could think of to say. She hated reminding the Chief of his own pain right now, but she needed to take her mind off Lee momentarily until she could find privacy.

"No," replied the Chief, holding in his own pain.

Kara nodded, turned, and walked towards her quarters. She tried not to run, but her pace accelerated as she made her way down the corridors. As she moved, memories of Lee rushed through her mind. His smile, his laughter, his stern expression when she played a prank on him once, the feel of his arms around her, their first kiss, the first time they made love, the first time they told each other they loved one another, and the moment Lee proposed marriage.

When she got to her bunkroom, she found none of her roommates were present, and was glad of it. Kara shut the hatch behind her, and then walked over to her locker in a daze. She opened it and saw the picture she kept in there, one of her and Lee taken on Picon when they were dating. Shane Flavia took it of the two of them, Lee holding her close as she gazed at him with a big smile on her face. The happiness of that moment in time, now seeming to be an eternity ago, clashed with the agony of reality as it finally hit her like a punch in the stomach. Her beloved Lee was dead, taken from her forever. Then, all of her pent up emotion found release in a loud, long scream. After screaming, Kara began to cry as she collapsed on the floor and pulled her body into a fetal position on the cold deck. Kara felt like she was dying as her body shook violently with sobs.

Some time passed, as Kara stayed on the floor thankfully undisturbed, the only sound in the room was that of her sobs. The hatch opened, breaking the silence and solitude of the room, and someone walked in. "GO AWAY!" she screamed.

Strong, but loving arms pulled Kara off of the floor. She looked to see Commander Adama pulling her up to him. Kara could see the sadness in the old man's eyes, and even signs of tears that had fallen down his cheeks.

"You know," he said simply.

Kara collapsed into his arms and cried. "Shh," said Adama, trying to calm her.

"He's gone," said Kara. "Gods, he's gone. They took him from us."

"I know," said Adama. "I was in CIC, I heard it happen. A Cylon raider took out the transport he was on with a nuke. There was nothing I could do to save him."

"It's not fair," she said. "Not fair."

"None of what has happened this day has been fair, Kara," Adama said. "But we are going to have to pull it together. We are fighting for our lives, and it is going to take all of us to survive. We are coming into Ragnor Anchorage. I need to oversee the re-supply operations. Are you going to be okay?"

"No," said Kara. "I don't think I'll be okay again."

Adama held her away from him. "You have to be for now, Kara. Later, we will both mourn him. But for now, we need to press on. Chief Tyrol needs every qualified person to work on getting as many Vipers up and running as possible. He needs you, Kara. I need you. I need you to be my CAG. Can you do this?"

Kara looked at Adama's determined expression, and found renewed strength in his gaze. She always was inspired by Commander Adama and impressed by his ability to reach deep down inside her and pull out her strength to the surface. Kara came to attention and saluted.

"Yes, sir," she said, holding back further sobs.

"Take a few moments, clean yourself up a bit before reporting to the hangar," said Adama. He then kissed her on the forehead, before turning to leave her in the room.

Kara was tempted to start crying again, and loose herself in mourning for Lee. But the Old Man was counting on her, as was everyone else. She pushed away the sadness, and headed out of the room, leaving her grief in there to be taken up at a later time.

End of Chapter Fourteen. Chapter Fifteen coming soon.

As always, feedback/reviews are welcomed and appreciated, especially now since the story is entering into new territory. Please let me know what you think.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen:**

His first thought when they sighted the Galactica docked at Ragnor was finding her. From the moment word came through about the Cylon attack, the moment the world went mad, Lee Adama thought about Kara Thrace once every five seconds, and whether or not she was safe. The ruse he designed to fool the Cylons into thinking the ship was destroyed worked, but he also knew that it probably fooled Galactica CIC as well. That meant that everyone on Galactica thought he and the other people on Colonial One were dead. That meant Kara thinks he is dead.

Lee could remember the cries of his father coming through the com, screaming his name. He though about the heartbreak that must be going through his father's mind, thinking he was dead. Lee felt guilty that it was his plan that gave his father that impression. He also knew that Kara would hear about it. Lee only hoped that his father would be there for her. Now that he was approaching Galactica on Colonial One, Lee's first thoughts were to get to her. To tell her that he is indeed alive. Of course, another thought gnawed at the back of his mind. "She might be dead." Lee would always push that thought away quickly. "No, she is alive," he thought. "I feel it."

Lee couldn't get off that ship fast enough, but the President stopped him. She asked him to be with her when she spoke to the Commander. Lee agreed, both because he felt a since of duty to the President, but it would also give him a chance to see his father, and to let the old man know that he had Lee after all. But Commander Adama was not who they met with. Colonel Tigh was there, and as stubborn as ever. Apparently, the Commander was on the station and out of touch with CIC. Lee helped the President convince Colonel Tigh to provide some disaster pods to help with the rescue of civilians in the fleet gathered at Ragnor. Then, the Colonel informed Lee that he was to be Galactica's CAG. To be the CAG of a battlestar had been Lee's goal since being chosen for War College nearly two years ago. But now, it seemed to be somewhat less than an honor, because there were very few qualified candidates for the position, and Lee would now have to lead Galactica's squadron into a battle they probably wouldn't win considering how things were going.

But now, Lee was free to find Kara. He somehow knew she would be on the flight deck, helping to repair and arm enough fighters to support Galactica when it inevitably attacked the Cylon forces. Lee found her, laying under a Viper, tools in hand, working to get it in fighting condition. She was wearing her regulation t-shirt and fatigue pants, and her face was blotched with grease. Kara was the most beautiful sight Lee had ever seen. He just stared at her for a few moments, trying to figure out a way to announce himself. Finally, he just said a simple greeting.

"Hey," he said quietly, just enough for her to hear him.

Kara looked over at him, and the shock registered on her face almost immediately. She dropped the tool she was holding, and became perfectly still. Kara began shaking, taking in the sight in front of her. Lee knew that it would be a shock to see him alive, but now he was concerned that Kara was going to have a nervous breakdown. He knelt down, pulled her out from under the Viper by her legs, and then grabbed her arms and pulled her to him.

"I'm here, Kara," said Lee, cupping her face with his hands. "I'm really here."

Lee helped Kara stand, and she stood there and stared at him. She then started running her hands over his head, his face, his arms, and his chest. The movements were not seductive, but were rather like that of a blind woman trying to feel something out to make sure it was indeed in front of her. Finally, she spoke.

"I thought you were dead," she said in a voice barely above a whisper.

Lee could feel Kara shaking in his arms. He decided to lighten the mood a bit. "Yeah, well I thought you were in hack."

Kara gave him an incredulous look, trying to figure out what the frak he was talking about. Then, it dawned on her that the last time he had seen her, she was in the brig. That seemed so long ago, and it felt as if she had not seen Lee in years by that point. But Kara also recognized that Lee was trying to relieve the tension of the moment, so she decided to play along.

"Nice to be wrong, huh," she said, gently caressing Lee's cheek with her fingers.

"Yeah, you should be used to it by now," said Lee.

Kara smiled. "Yeah, well everyone has to have a skill," she said. "Still, I'm not wrong about everything. I wasn't wrong about how much I love you. And how frakking great it feels to be wrong about you being dead."

Lee gently brushed his lips against hers. In that moment, Kara began crying, and Lee pulled her into a tight embrace, as they kissed each other more fully and deeply. After breaking the kiss, Lee kissed the tears from her cheeks.

"I'm so sorry, baby," he said. "I didn't want to hurt you. But I had to make the Cylons think we were dead. Unfortunately, it made you and everyone here believe it, too."

"I don't care about that now," she said. "You did what you had to do to stay alive. All that matters is that you are here, with me, and that you are alive. And that I love you so much."

"I love you, too," he said, kissing her one more time.

After they held one another for a few more minutes, Lee decided that they're reunion had to be put on hold. There was a war to fight, after all. "So, um, how go the repairs?"

Kara was startled by the sudden shift in tone, but then realized that they both had a job to do. "Right, um…on track. A couple of more hours, and she should be ready to launch."

"Good," said Lee.

Kara pulled away from Lee, and stood in front of him. She beheld him for a moment in his flight suit, standing tall and looking every bit like a warrior. Like a leader. "Gods, he is beautiful," she thought. Then, it dawned on her that he was now the ranking pilot on Galactica.

"So, I guess you are the new CAG now, huh," said Kara.

"Yeah, so they tell me," said Lee. "I know that you were probably…"

"No, Lee," said Kara. "It's good you are going to be CAG. The job was the last thing I wanted. Not a big enough dipstick for the job." Then, she smiled slyly at him, and spoke in a more seductive voice. "Of course, I know you your dipstick is plenty big enough."

Lee laughed at the double-entendre that permeated her remarks. "That's my Kara," he said, as she just smiled at him. "Too bad I don't have time to remind you how much my dipstick happens to love your…"

"Lee Adama!" said Kara, with feigned horror. "You would speak that way to a lady?"

They both laughed that time. "I can't believe this," said Lee. "The world is coming down around us, and here we are laughing and making sexually suggestive jokes."

"It's either laugh or cry," said Kara. "I'm just so damned happy you are alive."

Kara pulled Lee to her and kissed him again.

"Lee, does your father know you're still breathing?"

"I don't think so," said Lee. "I'd better go and find him. When I come back, I'll need an update on the squadron's readiness. Coordinate the report with Chief Tyrol."

Kara nodded, and recognized that his conversation with her shifted in an instant from fiancée to fiancée to CAG to pilot. She was going to have to get used to the distinction. Kara came to attention and saluted. "Yes, sir."

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"Frak!" said Lee, as the systems on his fighter began to die out on him. The battle was raging around him, as Galactica and her fighter squadron tried to hold off the Cylon forces and give the civilian ships a chance to escape. But now Lee's fighter was damaged, and he was drifting out of control.

He could hear Kara's voice of his com system, calling him by his call sign, seeing if he was all right. Lee didn't respond at first, embarrassed that he had let his ship get damaged like that. But Lee quickly shook the stupidity of that thought out of his mind, and was going to respond to Kara's entreaties over the com, but that was when he saw the Cylon raider fire his missile. The missile closed on Lee's fighter, and he knew that he could not evade. Lee kept his eye on the missile, deciding that he was going to look death in the face as it came streaking towards him. "I love you, Kara," he whispered into his com, as the missile came within moments of striking him.

But the missile suddenly exploded, as a Viper went streaking by at full speed, blasting the raider that fired missile out of the sky just moments later. Lee smiled, knowing who that pilot must be. Kara's cheer through the com confirmed his suspicions.

"Looks like you broke your ship!" Kara screamed.

"I've had worse," replied Lee. "But thanks."

"I've got your back, flyboy!" she replied.

Kara continued to protect Lee's fighter, as raiders came along to try and finish the job their destroyed brethren had started. But they didn't stand a chance against Kara, who blasted them with determined fury every time they got close. Lee admired the beauty and skill of Kara's flying, as she hovered around his craft blasting Cylons. But there were a few close calls, and Lee worried that Kara was exposing herself to danger by protecting him.

"Starbuck," he said. "Don't hang around here. Get back into the fight!"

"What the frak do you think I've been doing!"

"You can't protect me forever!" said Lee.

"Watch me!" replied Kara.

Just then, Kara heard the recall order come from Galactica CIC. She ignored it, and continued to protect Lee's fighter.

"You heard them, Kara!" said Lee. "Get back to Galactica! That's an order!"

"Live or die, we do it together!" said Kara.

"I gave you a direct order!" shouted Lee.

"You can send me to the brig later!" replied Kara. "If we live! But I am not going to live with your death! Not again!"

"Frak!" said Lee, to himself.

Kara heard Commander Adama's voice come over the com. "Starbuck, what do you hear?"

"What!" she yelled, wondering what the hell Adama was talking about.

"Good morning, Starbuck, what do you hear?"

As debris hit the canopy of her fighter, it finally dawned on Kara was Adama was saying. "Nothing but the rain!"

"Good. Then grab your gun and bring home the cat," he replied.

"Copy that!" she said.

Then, Lee's voice came over the com one more time. "Dammit, Starbuck, just go! Leave me…"

"Lee, SHUT UP and HOLD STILL!" she yelled.

Kara brought her fighter into position, and then came at Lee's fighter at full speed.

"Oh, NO!" he said.

She pulled back on her thrusters just enough to not kill them in the collision, but not enough to break the momentum she was going for when her craft connected with Lee's. She pushed Lee's fighter back through the battle towards Galactica's closing landing pods.

"You are beyond insane!" yelled Lee.

Kara laughed. "Just saving your sweet ass, baby! Kick it into burn!"

As they got closer to the Galactica, Lee looked back at the ship, and saw how fast they were approaching it. "We're coming in a little hot don't you think!"

"No," said Kara, half-heartedly. "Not really."

They made it into the landing pod, and crashed on the deck just before Galactica jumped away from the Cylons. As they waited on the deck for their fighters to be brought into the hangar, Lee stared at Kara through the canopies of their fighters. She looked back at him with a look of sheer exhaustion, mixed with an overwhelming sense of triumph. Both of them were breathing heavy, coming down from the high of their ordeal.

"Lee, are you alright?" she asked.

"Shaken up," said Lee. "But okay. You?"

"I'm alive," she said. "We're alive. Everything else is just gravy."

They didn't say anything else, as their ships were finally brought in. Waiting for them as they extracted themselves from their fighters was Commander Adama, going from pilot to pilot, shaking their hands and congratulating them for a job well done. When he got to Lee, Adama shook his hand at first, but then pulled his son into a hug.

"Well done, son," he said.

"Thanks, Dad," said Lee.

Then Adama looked at Kara, standing close to Lee. He grabbed her and hugged her close to him. "You did good," he said, kissing Kara on the cheek. "Thank you for bringing in the cat."

Kara chuckled. "I happen to like this cat," she said. "He was too cute to leave out in the rain."

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Later that evening, after a funeral service and stirring speech given by his father, Lee sat in one of the chairs in the pilot's briefing room, waiting for Kara to arrive. The room was dark, quiet, with all of the pilots either in bed or on duty elsewhere. He considered the notion that they might find Earth, the thought-to-be mythical lost 13th colony of humankind. But mostly, his thoughts were focused on Kara.

"Hey," said Kara, as she walked into the room. "I got the word you wanted to see me here."

"Yes, Kara," said Lee. "Come in."

Kara sauntered over to Lee, plopping down on his lap. "You said you needed to see me in private," said Kara. "I thought you would be too tired for this." She played with his hair, and kissed Lee on his neck. "Then again, it has been a long time."

Lee put his hands on Kara's arms, and pushed her away slightly. "I didn't ask you here for that," said Lee. "Please get up."

Kara got off of his lap, and Lee stood up to face her. He had a serious look in his face that immediately killed Kara's playful mood. "I guess this is going to be a more serious talk."

"Yes, Kara," said Lee. "A CAG to pilot talk. Kara, what happened today…can't happen. Ever. I gave you a direct order to return to Galactica and answer the CIC's recall order. You disobeyed."

"Commander Adama overruled your order, remember," said Kara.

"Maybe he did," said Lee. "But you were hell bent on disobeying that order before you received that message from my father."

"Lee…"

"CAG to pilot, remember," said Lee.

Kara looked at him with a look of irritation. "Fine, SIR," she said. "I was not about to leave Galactica's CAG out there to die, SIR."

"Is that why you did it?" asked Lee. "Think about it and give me an honest answer."

"Partly, yes," said Kara.

"Partly," said Lee. "What was the rest of your reasoning behind disobeying your CAG's direct orders?"

"Lee…sir," said Kara. "Oh, frak, Lee can't we just drop the military protocol here for a moment."

"Why?" asked Lee. "We are having a CAG to pilot talk, aren't we?"

"Yeah, but my other reasons had nothing to do with my relationship with you as my CAG."

"And that is the problem, Kara," said Lee. "It is a problem we are going to have to deal with. Here and now."

"Lee, I don't believe this," said Kara. "You are alive and well now because I disobeyed your order. You are acting like you would rather be dead."

"Of course not, Kara," said Lee. "But your actions, and the reasoning behind them, are symptomatic of a serious problem. Kara, I am your CO now. There are regulations against a CO being involved with one of his or her pilots."

"Lee, those regulations apply to a situation that no longer exists," said Kara. "We are the last battlestar left in the universe for all we know. We are probably going to be on the run for a very long time."

"And we have a responsibility to protect the last survivors of humanity," said Lee. "We have jobs to do, and nothing can get in the way of that. Nothing!"

"So what are you saying, huh? You don't want to marry me anymore? You don't want me anymore? You don't love me anymore?"

"I love you, Kara. More than life itself. And I want more than anything to be your husband. But it is not about what we want anymore, Kara. It is about our obligations to the survival of our race. Kara, if I had died out there, but you had obeyed the order, at least one more experienced pilot could have returned to Galactica to carry on. You could have led Galactica's air group in my place. If we had both died, it would leave this ship two pilots short instead of one, and the list of qualified candidates for CAG would be dangerously thinned. That is unacceptable."

"I can't believe you are doing this!" said Kara. "After all we have been through to get to this point! After all we have lost! And you are asking me to give you up!"

"Don't lecture me about LOSS!" yelled Lee. "My mother…my brother, are both more than likely DEAD! Or left back there in the colonies to be murdered by the Cylons! So yes, believe me, I understand LOSS! And I don't want to loose you either. But again, it is not about us, Kara. It is about our duty to those around us, and those we are sworn to protect."

"You expect us to just shut off what we have by not getting married, by not being with each other," said Kara. "How?"

"I don't know," said Lee. "But we are going to have to find a way."

Kara ran her hands through her hair, and stared at Lee for several moments. His face was a stone stare, but inside, his heart was breaking over what he was doing. But at the same time, his head told him it had to be done.

Finally, Kara nodded her head. "I guess this little fairy tale of mine had to end sooner or later," she said. Kara looked down at her engagement ring, now on her finger for over a year. In one swift motion, she yanked the ring off of her finger, ignoring the physical and emotional pain that came from removing something on her finger for so long. She grabbed Lee's hand, and shoved the ring into his grasp. Then, coming to attention, Kara saluted. "May I be dismissed now, SIR?" she asked with a voice filled with anger and spite.

Lee wanted to say something to placate her, but knew it was useless. Instead, he just returned the salute. "Granted, Lieutenant. You are on CAP in the morning. Report to the flight deck at 08:00."

Kara turned and left swiftly. After she was gone, Lee stood alone in the empty room, and looked down at the ring in his grasp. He held it tightly in his hand as tears began to fall down his cheeks.

End of Chapter Fifteen. Chapter Sixteen coming soon. As always, feedback/reviews are welcomed and appreciated.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes: Okay, some shocked readers after the last chapter, if the feedback I received in reviews is any indication. I'm glad to see I have been able to surprise people. Well, guess what, some more surprises are to come. Just remember, the darkest hours are just before dawn. **

**Chapter Sixteen:**

Kara Thrace lost herself in the feelings of pure pleasure that washed over her body. He was on top of her, thrusting into her with reckless abandon, grunting with enjoyment as their sweat-slicked bodies were locked together on his bunk. The sex was more like combat, with their two bodies battling each other for supremacy to see who could endure the other longer. Kara kissed his shoulder blade, sucking and licking his hot skin, her eyes closed as her mind wandered into a moment of half-fantasy and half-reality. She heard herself moaning, panting, until she finally began to cry out.

"Oh…Oh! Oh LEE! Oh, LEE!" she panted.

The look on his face as he pulled up and faced her shook Kara out of her fantasy. Flat Top hovered over her, his eyes filled with shock. "What the frak did you just call me?" he asked.

Just then, they heard the hatch open, and Flat Top's RIO came into the room. Lt. Blaise Mormino looked at the two pilots, laying naked on the bunk in shock.

"Holy FRAK!" he said.

Kara pushed Flat Top off of her and got up to get dressed. "What the hell are you doing here?" asked Flat Top

"We launch in ten minutes, man," said Mormino. "I came looking for you. I didn't mean to interrupt…"

"We were finished anyway," said Kara, quickly putting on her duty uniform. "Good hunting, gentlemen."

As Kara walked out of the room, she put her hands on the back of her neck. "Frak me, how the hell did that happen?"

Lee was on the Astral Queen on a mission for the President, so Kara had been left to run the flight briefing for the day. In the weeks since Lee broke off their engagement, they had barely seen one another off duty except in the bunkroom that they were both assigned to when one or the other, or both, was going to bed. When they did speak, it was always in a cool, forced tone of professionalism. Kara could feel that Lee was just as miserable as she was with the situation, but she felt little sympathy. This was his choice, now he was going to have to live with it. Now, she had to live with it too.

Kara tried to loose herself in other activities like cards and drinking and joking around with her shipmates. But there was something deep inside her looking for release. Then, in the flight briefing that day, she was dressing down Flat Top for coming in too hot on his landings in her own special Starbuck way. He was coming back at her with his own kind of cockiness, and for some reason, Kara decided Flat Top was just the good looking smart ass that she could chew up and spit back out when she was done. After the briefing, Kara went to his bunkroom, and found he was the only one there. Kara was very direct, and told Flat Top she was looking for a quick frak, and wanted to know if he was interested. She also made it clear it was a one-time deal. Flat Top, being a horny young man who knew a good opportunity when it presented itself, took up Kara on her offer. But even Kara never expected to cry out Lee's name or fantasize about him when she was trying to lose herself for a while by having sex with Flat Top.

"How frakked up can I possibly be?" she thought.

She heard her name being paged to the CIC. "Good, maybe they've got some suicide mission for me so I can be put out of my misery," she said to herself.

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Lee Adama was an exhausted man, both mentally and physically. To top it off, he ached all over from the beating he took at the hands of the prisoners on the Astral Queen. Luckily, Lee had been able to negotiate a settlement to the situation by the skin of his teeth, although he was now in hot water with both the President and his father over the promises he made to Tom Zarek.

And wouldn't you know it, but it was Kara who had come to his rescue once again. Even though he managed to save himself, Kara had been there to do it in case he failed. For a few moments after the rescue, he and Kara were back to their old joking selves as they rode back to Galactica on a raptor. But when they landed, something snapped, and they both fell back into the cold, strictly professional routine they had developed over the past weeks.

Lee was now walking to his bunkroom, ready to crash on it and get some much needed sleep. As he walked by one of the other pilots' bunkrooms, he heard a couple of the pilots joking around about something.

"You mean you actually caught them naked in the sack together?" asked one of them.

Lee recognized the voice as Crashdown's, as he stopped to listen with curiosity to hear about who was supposedly frakking who on the ship. He was not normally one to tune into such juicy gossip, but his concern was that of a CAG who might need to know about an inappropriate relationship going on with two of his pilots. After all, if he had just given up his fiancée in the name of maintaining professional standards, he was going to demand the same of his men.

"I shit you not," said Mormino. "I walked in to find Flat Top, and there he was. Naked in the sack and on top of Starbuck!"

"Un-FRAKKING believable!" said one of the other men in the room.

Lee backed away from the doorway, and leaned against the hallway bulkhead. He was in a state of complete shock at hearing that the woman who had once been his fiancée was apparently having nooners with at least one of the other pilots on the ship. Feelings of jealousy and rage filled Lee as he thought about another man having sex with Kara. After the long day he had, Lee was in a bad mood already. Now, he was downright pissed.

He stormed down the corridor to the bunkroom where he slept. Lee had assigned himself to a bunk in the same room Kara slept in because even though they were no longer engaged, Lee still loved her and wanted to be near her in some way. Now, he was starting to regret his decision, as he walked in and found Kara in her bunk, puffing away on a cigar. There was no one else in the room but the two of them, as Lee came in and began to take off his uniform blouse and put it in his locker. He slammed the locker shut, and headed for his bunk while not looking at the woman laying just a few feet away.

"Your meeting with the President and Commander not go well," said Kara, casually.

Lee stood looking at his bunk for a long moment, trying to choose his response carefully. He was trying not to loose his cool. "Fine," said Lee. "Why do you ask?"

"Because you stormed in here like you were going to kill someone," said Kara.

Lee turned and looked at Kara. Normally, the sight of her made his stomach do somersaults inside of him. Now, seeing her laying so casually on her bunk made Lee think of the image of Kara frakking Flat Top. He began to loose his temper.

"I guess I just need to find some ways to release some tension, huh," said Lee. "Like you have."

Kara could hear the bitterness in his voice. She looked at him and recognized his expression. Lee Adama was pissed off about something, and for some reason, she felt like he was pissed at her. She had a long day, and didn't feel like dealing with this.

"Fine, whatever," said Kara. "I need some sleep. Good night, sir."

She put out her cigar in an ashtray sitting on the floor, and then shut her curtain, leaving Lee to his own anger. He plopped down on his bunk, but didn't sleep well as the anger just boiled in him with no source of relief.

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A few days later, Kara walked back to her bunkroom at a brisk pace to get ready for Flat Top's 1000th landing. Per the traditions of the Colonial Fleet, the pilots would throw Flat Top an elaborate ceremony that involved heavy drinking and a playful ride around the flight deck in one of Galactica's cargo carts. When she got there, Kara found Lee still trying to get ready for the ceremony. Lee had been angry for the past several days, for what she didn't know, but every time she came near him, Kara got a feeling of sheer hatred coming from Lee. Now, as she came into the room, she tried to break through some of that and get Lee into the spirit of the occasion.

"You had better hurry," said Kara. "Flat Top should be coming in anytime now."

"I'm almost done," said Lee, a slight spite to his tone that Kara did not understand.

"After all," said Kara, still trying to get him to lighten. "This is your first 1000th landing ceremony you are leading as CAG. You don't want to frak it up, and forever be known as the worst CAG in the history of CAGdom."

Lee stopped what he was doing, and looked up at Kara. He spat out a response. "What's the matter? Afraid your boyfriend won't get the ceremony he deserves?"

Kara stopped in her tracks, and turned to look at Lee with a confused expression. "What the frak are you talking about?"

"What, you are going to tell me that you didn't have a little frak time with Flat Top the other day?"

Kara was shocked that Lee knew, but also angry that Lee seemed to be upset about. "So what if I was? It's not like it's any of your business! REMEMBER! Who I frak is none of your damned business! Not anymore! Because I'm just a pilot and you are just my CAG!"

"Yeah, you're a pilot who apparently can't keep her PANTS ON!"

Kara stepped closer to him, her expression one of sheer spite. "You callin me a slut?"

"If the shoe FITS!"

Without warning, Kara punched Lee in the mouth. He responded by hitting Kara right back, as they both rubbed their jaws in pain for a few moments. Finally, Kara was the first to speak.

"Look, you wanna have fantasies about me frakking half the men on this ship, you go right ahead! But don't you DARE act like you have the right to be indignant with me about it! You dumped me on my ass! I'm not yours anymore by your choice! Now we need to get ready for the ceremony."

"Yeah, you must have a date with him afterwards, huh!"

Kara just looked at him with a sly grin, and responded with a tone full of sarcasm. "No, not today. I'm going to be too busy giving blow jobs to some guys from the deck crew."

Before Lee could respond, they heard footsteps coming down the corridor. It was Commander Adama, walking into the bunkroom at a brisk pace. "Aren't you two ready yet?" he asked.

Lee and Kara looked at each other for a moment and replaced their recent anger with their newly practiced stone cold professional demeanor. "Ready, sir," said Lee, as they headed out of the bunkroom.

End of Chapter Sixteen. Chapter Seventeen coming soon. As always, feedback/reviews are welcomed and appreciated.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen:**

As Kara headed for Commander Adama's quarters, still in her dress uniform, she wondered if funerals were going to be a constant part of her future now. Flat Top and so many others, friends and colleagues she had worked with for so long, all gone because of a stupid frakking accident. If the Cylons had killed them, Kara might have accepted it better. But to be killed by one of their own drones in the safety of Galactica's hangar; things like that just didn't happen. If things weren't frakked up enough around here, now Galactica was dangerously short on pilots.

Kara came into the Commander's quarters, and he asked her to sit down on the couch. He poured her a glass of water and handed it to her. Then, leaning against his desk, Adama explained why he asked for her to come. "Kara, I've asked you here because I need you to do something for me," he said. "For all of us. Kara, we need more pilots if we are going to put Vipers in the air to defend the fleet. Those that we have left can't do it alone. Luckily, we have a trained Colonial Fleet Flight Instructor on board."

"My instructor rating was revoked, remember," said Kara.

Adama smiled. "Unfairly and in a different world than the one we live in now. I'm reinstating that rating. I need you to train me up some new pilots. You are the only one who can."

"Well, it's going to be difficult," said Kara. "Back on Picon, I could start 'em on simulators before putting them into the real thing. We don't have them here. I'll have to crash course them into the job, for lack of a better term."

"I am confident you can do the job," said Adama. "You are the best pilot I have, and you were a great instructor on Picon. Despite what those pricks back there did to take that from you."

"I look forward to the chance to prove them wrong," said Kara. "Of course, you know what this means? All of our new pilots will fly just a crazy as I do."

"Good," said Adama. "We need a little Starbuck-like flying around here."

"Was there anything else sir?" asked Kara, putting down her glass and getting up to leave. "Because if I am going to be training new nuggets tomorrow, I'm going to need my beauty rest."

Adama looked down for a moment before returning his gaze to Kara. "There is something," he said. "It's more of a personal matter, but I feel like I have to ask about this."

He motioned for Kara to sit back down on the couch. This time, Adama sat next to her. "Kara, I know that you and Lee are…well, I don't know exactly how to describe where the two of you are now."

"In limbo," said Kara. "Borderline not being on speaking terms."

"I don't know all the specifics of what has been going on," said Adama. "I know that Lee broke it off with you because he was worried about your relationship getting in the way of duty. As a Commander, I can't help but agree with much of his reasoning. But as a father, I can't stand to see my children unhappy. And that's what the two of you are now."

Kara looked at Adama and smiled. "Your children?" she asked. "You're including me in that statement."

"Of course I am," said Adama. "You may not have married Lee…YET. But I already love you like my daughter. I'll give my son this much, he has excellent taste."

"Thank you," she said. "You don't know how much it means to me to hear you say that."

"But you and Lee," said Adama.

"I know," she said. "Lee is the one who made this decision. I still wanted to be with him. Of course, I haven't exactly improved things with some things I've done. He's pretty pissed at me."

"He'll forgive you," said Adama. "For whatever it is you've done. He loves you very dearly. I think that he just needs time to work your relationship into the new reality we are all living with. His dreams of marriage to you didn't include being your CAG on a battlestar leading a fleet of human survivors after a Cylon holocaust."

"I don't know," said Kara. "Things are frakked up pretty good."

"Give it time," said Adama. "Give him time."

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When Lee turned the corner into the pilot's break room, he saw her pouring a glass of water. He knew she had just returned from a flight with her new recruits, and knew that they were off to a rough start. He mostly avoided Kara these days, but he was also anxious to hear how things were going with the nuggets that would hopefully qualify to be his new pilots.

"Lieutenant," said Lee, walking over and pouring himself a glass of water from the same pitcher Kara has just poured a cup from. "How goes it with the new nuggets?"

"Mixed bag," she said. "Costanza and Kat have real potential, if Hot Dog's cockiness doesn't get in the way of him learning."

"Hot Dog?" asked Lee, with an amused smirk.

Kara smiled. "Costanza has a call sign."

"Cute," said Lee. "And the others?"

"We'll see," said Kara. "I'll do my best."

"I know you will," said Lee. "Thanks for the sit rep. Don't forget you're on CAP in a few hours. Try to get some rack time."

Lee turned and walked towards the door. Kara decided to try and reach out to him, to try and reach him and see if there was indeed hope like the Commander said. "How's your jaw?" she asked.

Lee stopped, and turned to look at Kara. She stood there, looking at him with an expression of tension that seemed to hang over them like a thick cloud. Lee hated it, and his anger had died down a bit since the man who Kara had sex with was now dead. Lee felt weird about being angry over it in light of what happened. And he knew Kara was right; Lee had broken it off with her. Who she spent time with was no longer his business. He also realized that Kara was trying to break through the cloud of tension with her question, and decided to try and meet her halfway.

"Oh, I've just added the ache to all the others I got from my little trip to the Astral Queen," said Lee.

"You wouldn't recommend it for a vacation, huh?" she asked jokingly.

"No," said Lee. "But I do wonder why a prison ship is called the ASS-tral QUEEN."

Kara laughed openly. "Oh, gods, I needed that. I can't remember the last time I laughed."

Lee smiled. "It's good to see."

They were both silent for a few moments, not knowing what to say to one another. Finally, Lee broke the silence. "How about you? I didn't hit you too hard, did I?"

"Oh, it only hurts when I eat, sleep on that side, shower with it under hot water…"

"Kara, I'm sorry," said Lee. "I should never have hit you."

"Well, I did hit you first."

"It's no excuse. If Dad found out I hit you, CAG or not, he would have taken me over his knee for hitting a woman. Especially for hitting you. I sometimes think he loves you more than he does me."

"Don't ever think that, Lee. He's always loved you very much; he just doesn't show it very well. I wasn't very good at it either until I met you."

"Kara, we haven't really had a chance to talk since the funeral, but…well, I know you knew them for a long time, and they were friends. How are you holding up?"

"As well as can be expected. Throwing myself into training these pilots helps."

Lee knew it would be touchy to deal with, but he had to say it. He had to know. "And Flat Top?"

Kara sighed. She knew this would probably have to come up sometime. Might as well be now. "He was a friend. A good pilot. A bit of a smart ass. And yes, we did sleep together. That one time, when you were on the Astral Queen. But there was nothing more than that. I just needed to find some kind of release. To loose myself in being with another man for just a few moments. Before the war, before you and I…ended, I never wanted to be with any other man again but you. But when we called it quits, I just didn't know how to cope with the new reality of it all. I frakked Flat Top to see if I could move past you."

"It seems you did," said Lee.

Kara shook her head. "When I was with him, all I could think about was that it didn't feel right. I was frakking him, but I wanted you. My mind, my body, my soul, and my heart were all aching for it to be you."

Lee reached up with his hand, hesitantly at first, but he finally touched her gently on the cheek. "And I called you a slut. Kara, I'm sorry. Can you ever forgive me?"

Kara nuzzled the palm of Lee's hand, and kissed it gently. "I can't help but forgive you. I love you. Even if you are a frak-wit sometimes."

"I was just so angry over the thought of you allowing another man to touch you," said Lee. "I love you, and…"

Kara didn't let Lee finish. Instead, she grabbed Lee and kissed him pleadingly on the lips. As soon as their lips made contact, Lee felt a fire build inside of him that had been dormant since he broke off their engagement. He kissed her back, and pulled her into his arms. A page for Captain Adama to report to the flight deck ended the moment as swiftly as it began.

Lee pulled away from Kara, breaking all physical contact. "We can't, Kara."

"Why the FRAK NOT?" she asked. "Lee…"

"We can't," said Lee. "I'm sorry. I've got to go."

Lee walked out of the room briskly, not leaving enough time for either of them to say another word. Kara stared at the door for a few moments, closed her eyes, and remembered what the Commander had said. "Give it time," she said to herself.

End of Chapter Seventeen. Chapter Eighteen coming soon. As always, feedback/reviews are welcomed and appreciated.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen:**

"Find her."

His father's words defined Lee's reason for living at the moment. Ever since the moment he learned that Kara Thrace went missing while fighting off Cylon raiders, Lee Adama became possessed with the mission of finding her. He and every other pilot on Galactica had been searching for her for hours now, pushing their resources to the limit. They were using up a dangerous amount of fuel. A number of Vipers were out of commission because of the conditions on the planet they were searching. Lee was now on his third Viper as he flew through the atmosphere.

None of it mattered to Lee. The whole fleet's resources could be completely drained, but all Lee cared about was finding Kara. In the back of his mind, Lee's voice of reason told him that Kara might have to be left behind to protect the rest of humanity's survivors. But Lee just ignored the voice and pressed forward. Despite the fact that Lee had broken off their engagement out of a sense of duty, a desire to not be distracted from duty by personal feelings, Lee Adama's only concern was still finding Kara. Even if it meant physically threatening senior officers, as he did with Colonel Tigh a few hours earlier, Lee was going to find Kara or die trying.

His fuel supply was almost exhausted. Lee turned his Viper back to Galactica, pushing the Viper's engines to the limit to get back, so he could refuel and go back out again.

When he got back, Chief Tyrol told Lee that Commander Adama wanted to see him in his quarters. Lee headed straight there. When he arrived, the Commander was standing quietly behind his desk.

"The President is coming," said Adama. "She wants us to call off the search."

"We're not going to give into her, are we?"

"No. But she's gonna press," said Adama.

"I'm with you," said Lee, as he turned to stand next to his father and face the President.

"President Roslin," announced Colonel Tigh in formal fashion as he entered with the President.

"Madam President," greeted Adama.

"Let's skip the formalities. You both know why I'm here," said Roslin.

"Termination of a pilot's rescue mission is a military decision," said Adama.

"That's a bunch of a crap," said Roslin. "This isn't military. It's personal. Personal especially for you Captain because you want to find the woman you are in love; whom you were once engaged to. And for you Commander because of your son's love for her, and because you already love her as your own daughter. Does that sound about right?"

"That's not it. Lt. Thrace is…" began Lee.

"Don't even begin, Captain," interrupted Roslin. "You've lost perspective, as have you, Commander. I understand your feelings for her; especially after all we have lost since the holocaust destroyed our colonies. I understand that love can be a powerful emotion that causes those under its power to do desperate things to try and save the one you love. You have done everything possible to find Lt. Thrace, as you should. But now you are putting your pilots at risk and you are exposing the fleet to possible attack every moment we stay here."

"We've been at risk of a Cylon attack since day one," said Adama. "The Cylons won't be missing their patrol for at least one more day."

"Colonel Tigh," said Roslin. "How much fuel have we expended in the search?"

"43 of reserves," replied Tigh.

"Almost half," said Roslin. "That's unacceptable. And operations inside the moon's atmosphere have also put 1/3 of your fighters out of action. That is also COMPLETELY unacceptable."

"FRAK unacceptable, or whatever it is you feel about this," said Adama. "Recovery of one pilot is a military matter."

Roslin stared at the Commander coldly for a moment before responding. "Alright," she replied half-sarcastically. "It's military. Fine. And you're both officers, and you're both honorable men. And you are both aware that you are putting the lives of over 45,000 people and the future of this civilization at risk for your personal feelings. Now if the two of you of all people can live with that, then the human race doesn't stand a chance. Clear your heads."

The President quietly walked out of the room, with Colonel Tigh not far behind her. Adama and Lee stood there, reeling from the conversation they just had with Roslin. Both of them stood there for a few moments, trying to reason out what she had said to them.

Lee went to move toward the door. "I better get back out there," he said. "Search team five will need to be refueled soon, and I still need to get team 2 back out."

"Stop," said Adama.

Lee froze, and then turned to face his father. He saw the look on the old man's face. The two men stared at one another for a long moment before Lee spoke. "You aren't giving in to that crap that she spouted, are you?"

"Think about it Lee," said Adama. "Are we really doing this for military reasons, or for personal ones?"

"Lt. Thrace is the best pilot we have…"

"Son," said Adama. "Don't lie to me or to yourself. You don't want to find Lt. Thrace. You want to find Kara, the woman you love. I want to find her, too. The thought of losing her hurts me deeply, although not as much as it does you I'm sure. But it is feeling we are talking about here, not military reasoning that has motivated our search beyond the point Kara could have survived. Kara was family, and sometimes you break the rules for family. But it has gone too far."

"We don't know!" said Lee, his anger growing inside of him. "How can we just jump away not KNOWING if she is dead or alive!"

"Because we have a duty greater than our feelings," said Adama. "The President was right. We have a duty to protect over 45,000 survivors of the human race. If we keep going on with the search, we put all those people at risk! You know it and I know it! Remember that you yourself broke off your engagement with Kara in order to put duty ahead of the possibility of emotional ties getting in the way. Now we are both giving in to exactly what you tried to avoid with that decision."

"I can't believe you are just going to give up on her! I mean, if we are just going to write her off because some frakking politician thinks we are expending too much GAS…."

"Lee, the President was right! Clear your head and think about this, son!"

"She is what is in my head! All alone out there, waiting for us to find her! If we turn our back on that, then what the hell is anything of this FOR! We might as well wait here for the Cylons to come and destroy us, because I don't want to live not knowing whether she was alive when we just ABANDONED HER!"

"Lee, the time comes when a man has to take responsibility for other things than his personal feelings! This is that time for you! I know it will be hard, and you are going to have to live the rest of your life with doubt! We all do! Who knows how many people we may have left behind in the colonies! Perhaps your mother or Zack might still be alive back there! I live with that thought every day! Now we have to add Kara to that list!"

"You know what? If you can seriously stand there and ask me to write off Kara when we don't know for sure she is dead, then to hell with it and to hell with YOU!"

Lee stormed out of Adama's quarters and headed down the corridor towards the flight deck. There was nothing but emotion swirling through Lee as he marched at a brisk pace towards his destination. His plan was simple, illogical, and single-minded. Steal a raptor, stay here when the fleet jumps, and keep searching until his fuel runs out or until he finds her.

When he got to the flight deck, he found Chief Tyrol standing and waiting for him with several Marines standing around him. "Captain Adama, sir," said Tyrol. "We have orders from the Commander to detain you."

"Out of my way, Chief," said Adama, trying to shove past. But the Chief and the Marines stopped him cold.

"Can't do that, sir," said Tyrol. "Commander's orders are to detain you until we jump."

"I have to get out there," said Lee. "I have to find her."

"Sorry, sir," said Tyrol. "I can't."

Just then, the alarm claxon sounded, followed by the sound of Colonel Tigh's voice over the intercom. "Action stations, action stations. Launch the alert fighters. Cylon raider approaching."

Lee looked up, as if the voice had come from the ceiling, and then looked pointedly at Tyrol. "Get me in a Viper," he said.

Tyrol nodded. "Viper 13 is ready, sir."

Lee ran towards the Viper as a crewman handed him his helmet. He strapped himself into the fighter and readied himself for launch. His Viper streaked out of the launch tube and into space. A few moments later, Lee heard that Hot Dog, who was to be his wingman, failed to launch out of the tube due to interval failure.

"Look's like I'm going solo," said Lee to himself.

He closed on the Cylon raider. When he came into range, Lee opened fire. His shots missed as the two ships passed each other. Lee came about and pursued the raider as they headed for Galactica. Lee tried repeatedly to shoot the enemy down, but the ship kept evading his fire.

"Lords, this bastard's good," said Lee.

He kept firing, and the raider kept evading his fire. "Hold still, you little prick!" he said.

Finally, one of his shots scored a glancing blow on the raider. But then, the raider pulled back on the throttle and slid under Lee's Viper. He expertly turned his Viper 180 degrees to meet the new threat to his rear, but the enemy was nowhere to be found.

"What the…." The enemy was nowhere to be seen. "Galactica, I've lost him. I repeat, he is nowhere to be seen."

Finally, the Cylon came back into view, flying right above Lee. "Holy! Galactica, the Cylon is now flying formation with me, right above my head. This thing is acting weird."

Then, the raider turned upside down. When Lee saw the writing on the bottom of its wings, his heart skipped a beat. For the first time in a long time, Lee felt an overwhelming sense of joy. He shouted and laughed.

"IT'S STARBUCK!" he shouted into his com.

"What?" said Adama, over the com. "Come again, Apollo?"

"Galactica, the raider is marked 'Starbuck.' It's written under the frakking wing!"

Lee heard cheers erupt over the com from the personnel in CIC. Meanwhile, Lee began crying, as he thought about Kara in that raider, in his sight, when just minutes ago he was sure she was lost forever.

His father's voice came over the com and brought Lee back to reality. "Bring it into the bay! If it does anything, shoot it down!"

"Wilco, Galactica," said Lee. "But it's gotta be her. This thing is flying with some serious attitude!"

He could have kicked himself for not recognizing her flying style before. Lee had always loved watching Kara fly. Lee often-equated Kara's flying to sex because it always seemed to turn him on to see how adeptly she could handle a flying machine. It reminded him of her adeptness at the other.

When they got back into the hangar, Lee took off his helmet before canopy was even all the way up. He handed the helmet to the deck hand standing on the ladder, then jumped down off of the fighter. He began running towards the raider as soon as his feet hit the ground.

They were putting Kara onto a stretcher just as Lee ran up. "Kara!" said Lee, leaning over her. "Are you alright?"

"Pretty banged up," said Kara, looking up at Lee. "But nothing that won't mend hopefully. Was that you flying that Viper that almost gunned me down?"

"Yeah," said Lee. "Sorry."

"Someone's going to have to remind you about intercept protocol," said Kara. "So, like my new toy?"

Lee took a glance over at the raider, then back at Kara. "When you take a souvenir, you don't screw around."

Then, the two of them looked intently at one another for a long moment. The forced brevity of the previous moment fell away as their eyes studied one another. Finally, Lee took Kara's face gently in his hands and kissed her passionately on the lips. Kara gave in immediately to it as she kissed him back with as much passion as he kissed her. They kept kissing desperately, as the medics waited impatiently and rather awkwardly for them to finish.

When the kisses finally halted, Lee put his arms around Kara. "I thought I'd lost you," he said, tears falling down his cheeks.

"I thought you did too a few times," said Kara. "So, you greet every pilot who comes back alive like this?"

"Only you," said Lee. "Only the woman I love. The woman who I hope will forgive me."

"For what?" asked Kara.

Lee reached into his pocket and pulled out Kara's engagement ring. "For asking you to take this off of your finger where it belongs."

Kara was now starting to cry. "Really?"

"If you can forgive me," said Lee. "If you will take me back."

Kara took the ring from Lee and began putting it on her finger. Lee helped her, then kissed the ring and the finger it was on. He then kissed her one more time on the lips.

"Good thing for you I love you," said Kara.

Lee smiled. "I love you, too. Even though you smell like a latrine right now."

Kara chuckled. "Wanna give me a bath?"

"Later," said Lee. "You bet I will."

End of Chapter Eighteen. Chapter Twenty coming soon. As always, feedback/reviews are welcomed and appreciated.


	19. Chapter 19

**Note: Remember how I said the darkest hours were just before dawn. Well, I never said there couldn't be storm clouds to darken things after dawn broke. Ha, ha. Enjoy.**

**Chapter Nineteen:**

"Come on, Kara," said Lee. "You have to eat."

"Lee, I've been stuck in this hospital bed for over a week now," said Kara. "I've been eating the same hospital food for all that time. I'm sick of it. I'm not eating it anymore!"

"Kara, how do you expect to keep your strength up to walk around on those crutches over there and get out of this sick bed, unless you eat?" asked Lee.

"I'll do it," said Kara. "I've got good motivation. Our upcoming marriage, remember."

"Well, you won't have the strength to stand up at our wedding and take the vows unless you EAT!"

"Lee, stop harping on me!"

"Alright, Kara," said Lee. "You force me to use extreme measures."

Lee reached into his pocket, and pulled out a wrapped candy bar. "If I remember correctly, you like chocolate. A lot."

He waved the chocolate bar in front of Kara back and forth, teasing her with it. "Where did you get that?" she asked.

"You think I'm going to tell you?" asked Lee. "And loose my source of ammunition?"

"You don't play fair," said Kara. Then, she smiled. "Of course, since we're not playing fair."

Kara put her hand around Lee's waist and pulled him closer to her. Then, her hand moved around his buttocks to the front of his pants, where she gently caressed him, earning a desired response.

"I could make it worth your while," said Kara. "To give me that."

Lee backed away. "Not going to work, Kara."

Kara put her hands in her lap. "Suit yourself. You force me to go the opposite direction. You give me that chocolate bar, or that little caress I just gave you will be the most you get from me for a VERY long time."

Lee chuckled slightly. "Yeah, right. You're too horny to deny yourself or me, and you know it!"

"I've gone without you for a while," said Kara. "I can do it again."

Lee responded by sitting down on the bed next to Kara. He took his hand and started by caressing her hair ever so gently. He then moved his hand down her cheek, her neck, and down the front of her body. When he reached the area between her legs, Lee began massaging her in ways that made shivers go through her body.

"Oh, FRAK ME!" she said in a low, turned on voice.

Lee then backed off and stood up. "You see," said Lee. "You have no choice but to submit to my demands."

Kara laid her head back and grunted with frustration. "Damn you, Lee Adama! How can you be so infuriating and so damned SEXY all in the same moment?"

"It's a gift," said Lee. He then reached over to the table where the tray of food had been sitting. He handed the tray to Kara. "It's still warm. Eat. Then, you can have your chocolate bar."

Kara reluctantly picked up the fork on the tray and began eating her food. Lee stood there and watcher her with a smile. "Don't look so smug," said Kara, with a mouth full of food. "I'll find a way to get back at you."

Lee chuckled. "I'm quaking in my boots," he said sarcastically.

Doctor Cottle walked over, a look of astonishment on his face. "How the frak did you get her to eat, Captain?"

"Just friendly persuasion," said Lee. "And a little chocolate motivation."

He handed the chocolate bar to Doc Cottle. "Here, Doc. Give her this when she's done eating her dinner. I have to go and see the Commander."

Lee leaned over and kissed Kara on the forehead. "That's my girl," he said. "Eat, eat, eat."

As Lee walked away, Kara gave him the middle finger. She then looked up and saw Doc Cottle sniffing the package of her chocolate bar.

"Don't even think about it, Doc!" said Kara.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Lee entered his father's quarters to find the Commander diligently working at his desk. "Sir, you wanted to see me?"

Adama looked up from his paperwork. "Yes, Captain, come in. Have a seat."

Lee sat in one of the chairs opposite his father's. "So, how's our patient?" asked Adama.

"Recovering nicely," said Lee. "She should be up and about on crutches within the next day or two. Off crutches a week or so after that."

"You've spent most of your off time at her side," said Adama.

"No where else I'd rather be," said Lee. "I hope you don't feel my duties have suffered."

"No," said Adama. "Not yet. But we need to talk about some things."

Adama took off his glasses and looked pointedly at Lee. "I've been doing some thinking. Ever since the bombing a week ago and the tribunal's investigation that followed. As you know, Chief Tyrol and Lt. Valeri were grilled pretty hard over their whereabouts that night."

"Yes, sir," said Lee. "But it turned out Socinus took responsibility for leaving the hatch open."

"But we both know who left that hatch open and where they were going when they did," said Adama. "Tyrol and Valeri were having an affair, against direct orders from the XO. They were having a romantic meeting that night, and Socinus along with the rest of the knuckle-draggers were covering for them."

"Then why isn't Tyrol in the brig, sir?"

"I need Tyrol," said Adama. "But as I told him, he is going to have to pay a different price for his indiscretions with Valeri, by seeing one of his men take the punishment for him. Because he couldn't put his personal feelings aside and he chose to pursue a relationship with a superior despite the violations it meant to regulations and protocol."

"Sir, I have to ask. Why are you talking to me about this?"

"Son, we never did talk about what happened when I made the decision to call off the search for Kara," said Adama. "Where you were headed, and what you tried to do before that alarm claxon sounded. You put your personal feelings for Kara ahead of your job, ahead of your duty as CAG and as an officer. You even went so far as to threaten your XO physically and were verbally insubordinate to your commanding officer. These things can not be allowed."

"I know," said Lee. "I'm sorry, sir. Truly. I wasn't thinking."

"No, you weren't thinking," said Adama. "Like Tyrol, you were thinking with your heart, not your head. Like the case with Tyrol, others may have had to pay the price for your lack of forethought. If you had gotten off the ship to search, and we had to leave you behind, who would command Galactica's air group? The list of qualified candidates is short. Other pilots might have died next time we faced the Cylons because you weren't in the air guiding them, leading them. Instead, you threw your life away searching for a pilot who was almost certainly dead."

"But she was alive," said Lee.

"We couldn't have known that," said Adama. "Now Tyrol has finally come to his senses. He broke off his relationship with Valeri by all accounts. You came to that same sound decision before that, when you broke off your engagement with Kara. When I went to see her in the sick bay, I couldn't help but notice she had her ring back on."

"We're engaged again," said Lee. "I realized that it was stupid to deny our feelings for one another, that they were going to be present whether we were together or not. I wasn't engaged to Kara when she went missing, but as you so adeptly pointed out, I still let my feelings for Kara take over."

"That's true," said Adama. "But it doesn't change the wisdom of your decision to not marry Kara, especially in light of the incident with Tyrol and Valeri. How can I possibly allow my CAG to marry one of his pilots and tell Valeri and Tyrol they can't be together? Such relationships only get in the way of our duty as officers, which sometimes requires us to sacrifice each other in order for all to be saved. In both cases, personal feelings hindered duty."

"So what are you saying?" asked Lee, as he stood up in front of his father's desk, tension permeating through his demeanor.

"I'm ordering you to break off your engagement and romantic relationship with Lt. Thrace," said Adama, standing to face his son.

"Wait a minute," said Lee. "Kara told me that you encouraged her to wait for me to come to my senses and take her back. To give me time."

"That was before further events proved that you were right, and I was wrong at the time," said Adama. "I'm rectifying that. This is difficult for me, Lee. As a father, I want to see my son happy, and I know Kara could make you happy. But as a Commander, I have to put my personal feelings aside as well and issue this order."

"Difficult for you?" asked Lee. "Where do you get off claiming you have difficulty with this? This order is not about my job. This order is about my LIFE! My life with Kara is none of your damned business!"

"Everything that happens on this ship is my business!" said Adama. "I'm sorry, Lee, but I have the authority to do this under regulations, and I will enforce it. You will not marry Lt. Thrace, and you will not engage in any relationship with her beyond a professional capacity."

"And if I refuse to obey this order?"

"Then I will have no choice but to throw you in the brig," said Adama.

"How can I command your air group in the brig, sir?" asked Lee, half-sarcastically.

"You'd be allowed out when on duty," said Adama. "Your off time would be in the brig, and Kara would not be allowed near it. And despite your anger with me, I'm sure you wouldn't allow your pilots to suffer from bad leadership that would put them at risk just to spite me."

"I can't believe you are doing this to us!"

"Believe it. This is the new reality you have to face, Captain. Only this time, you will have to put your personal feelings aside. This is the way it has to be. Hopefully, someday, things will be different. But for now, this is the way it has to be."

The two men stared at each other for a while. Finally, after a number of long moments of silence, Lee came to attention and saluted. "Yes, SIR! Will that be all, SIR?" he asked with barely contained anger.

Adama saluted back. "Just one thing more. When Starbuck is back on her feet, get her working on helping Tyrol figure out the controls to the Cylon raider she captured."

"Yes, SIR!" Lee said, once again with spite in his voice.

"Dismissed," said Adama, as he sat down at his desk and went back to his work.

Lee stormed out of the room in a fury. Adama watched him go, and then closed his eyes as the pain of what he just did to his son came to the surface. "I'm sorry, son," he said to the empty room.

End of Chapter Nineteen. Chapter Twenty coming soon. As always, reviews/feedback are welcomed and appreciated.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty:**

"This is totally frakked, Lee," said Kara.

Galactica's medical bay was quiet. It was late at night on Galactica, and only a duty nurse was on watch in the bay. She sat at her desk working on paperwork, as Lee sat on Kara's bed and held her close to him. He had been doing this with her every night since she got back. The nurse who worked nights had a soft spot for the couple, and looked the other way as Lee and Kara would hold each other until Kara got tired and went to sleep. But this night, Lee had to tell Kara the news of his father's order. The normal joy and peace that filled those times they had spent there wasn't present on this night.

"I know," said Lee, kissing Kara on her forehead. "I still can't believe he would issue this order. He's always been supportive of our relationship."

"I guess he figures that he couldn't justify his orders to Tyrol and Sharon if he allowed us to be together," said Kara. "It's funny. I can see his logic, even though I am so frakking pissed over what that logic does to us."

"I don't know if I can ever forgive him for this," said Lee.

"Take it easy on him, Lee," she said. "The Old Man has a lot on his plate."

"I've taken it easy on him all my life, Kara," said Lee. "When he was away so much when I was a child, when he chose the service over his marriage and his children."

"Don't just see the negative, Lee," said Kara. "Remember he did save my tale two years ago. I owe him a lot."

"You've served him well, Kara," said Lee. "You've more than repaid his acceptance of you aboard this ship."

"I guess it's hard for me to hate him," said Kara. "He's been more of a father to me than anyone I've ever known. Especially compared to what I grew up with."

"I don't hate him, I just…I guess, to be honest, I should be just as mad at myself. If I hadn't been such a frakwit, we would have probably been married now."

"You thought you were doing right," said Kara. "Just as your father does."

"Your better at forgiving him for it than I am," said Lee.

"Don't mistake my understanding and desire to sympathize with him for acceptance of this," said Kara. "I'm pissed as hell at him. I just don't know what to do about it."

"I know one thing," said Lee. "He can't watch us 24 hours a day. We can still get together when off duty, in secret."

"Great," said Kara, sarcastically. "We could ask Tyrol and Sharon where they used to hook up. Secret fraks on the floor of supply rooms, or moments with my pants down around my ankles while you hump me against the wall of a closet just before we fly a CAP. Lee, that might have been good enough for me once, but…you've spoiled me. I want more than that. I DESERVE more than that."

Lee gently caressed Kara's cheek, and kissed her gently on the lips. "You're right," he said, kissing her one more time. "You do. I just don't know what else we could have together now."

They sat there for some time, silent and both lost in thought, while enjoying each other's closeness. Lee pondered what Kara had said about having more than just secret encounters with one another. The way she described it, such encounters did sound rather like they were guilty of something distasteful. But then Lee thought about what might make such secrecy seem less distasteful.

"Marriage," said Lee, out loud.

"What?" replied Kara.

"We could get married," said Lee. "Then if we did have brief encounters in secret, it would be more. It would be a husband and wife coming together."

Kara smirked at him. "That's brilliant, Lee," said Kara, her tone filled with sarcasm. "But we come back to the original problem. We can't GET MARRIED!"

"Who says?"

"Your father, frak-wit! Have you been smoking something you're not supposed to have on board?"

"No, Kara, think about it. I was right about one thing. My father can't watch us 24 hours a day. He can't prevent us from getting married, as long as we don't tell him."

Kara looked at him with understanding dawning upon her face. "Marry in secret."

"Exactly! We could marry secretly, so that when we did have secret encounters as a couple, it would be as a MARRIED couple doing what the gods bless married couples to do. We'd have to be careful and discreet, both with the marriage and the encounters. I mean, I want you to be the mother of my children someday, but it wouldn't do for you to get pregnant."

"I'd be birthing my baby in the brig for breaking the Commander's orders," said Kara. "In the meantime, you're father would have a COW!"

"We'd need a priestess," said Lee. "Elosha, maybe."

"The ceremony requires at least two witnesses," said Kara. "Who could we trust?"

"Maybe Tyrol and Valeri," said Lee. "They'd be sympathetic."

"Yeah, but Tyrol just suffered a very valuable lesson about personal relationships causing problems," said Kara. "He broke things off with Sharon because of it. He might not be the best choice. And Sharon…she's my friend, and she's probably heart-broken over Tyrol. I won't make her watch someone else buck the regs and marry."

"Then who?" asked Lee.

Kara smiled. "How's about you ask the President? You're in pretty good with her."

"Yeah, I could…" Lee paused, then grimaced. "Uhhh, no. I don't think it would fly. She just witnessed how much my father and I were willing to risk for our personal connection to you, and she was pretty pissed over it. She'd probably agree with my father's orders in this matter. Come on, Kara. You've been on this ship for two years. Who would you consider a friend you could trust?"

"Well, I would have picked Helo, but…"

"I know," said Lee, kissing Kara gently on the cheek. "You've lost a lot of friends on this ship since the war began."

"Maybe Dee would do it," said Kara.

"Dualla?" asked Lee. "She's always come off to me as being pretty hard nosed."

"It's just her exterior," said Kara. "She's a romantic at heart. Haven't you heard the scuttlebutt about her and the President's aid?"

"Billy Keikaya? Yeah, I heard. Hey, maybe he could be the other witness?"

"We can only ask," said Kara. "We still need to get Elosha on board for this. And we need to find a time and place where we can do it in secret."

"Let me work on that," said Lee. "I'll see if I can arrange to meet with Elosha as well. Hopefully, we can set something up by the time you are up and limping around."

"In the meantime, I'll talk to Dee," said Kara.

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A week later, Kara was on her way to the flight deck to help Chief Tyrol work on the Raider. She had been hobbling around Galactica's corridors on crutches for the past week and spending most of her time with two projects. One was the work on the raider. The other was her secret wedding plans. Dee, it turns out, was the perfect choice to be a witness for the wedding. She was hesitant at first because it meant going against the Commander, whom she loved and respected very much, but Dee finally decided to do it because she felt for Kara's and Lee's plight. Dee also used her influence to get Billy to sign on as the other witness to the proceedings.

As Kara came around a corner, she spotted Commander Adama up ahead talking with Lt. Gaeta. She hadn't seen the Commander since Lee relayed the news to her about the old man's orders to end their wedding plans. Seeing him now, Kara felt a sense of anger well up in her that she hadn't really expected. After all, she had been far more understanding of the situation than Lee had been.

"Good day, Starbuck," said the Commander. "What do you hear?"

Kara kept hobbling right by him. "Good say, sir. Not much."

The Commander watched her hobble along for a few moments. Finally, he called after her. "Starbuck, wait."

She dutifully stopped, turned and faced him. The Commander asked Lt. Gaeta to excuse them, and then walked over to Kara. "How are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm alive," she replied. "Thank you for your concern, sir."

"Kara, I haven't had a chance to talk with you," said Adama. "I hope you know my orders were not personal, nor were they any reflection on my feelings towards you. You know I love and respect you as my daughter, no matter what."

"Really, sir," said Kara, half-sarcastically. "Sure those personal feelings won't get in the way of anything? Perhaps you should order yourself to disown me."

For a split second, Kara saw a pained look cross through the old man's features. She knew that her last comment hurt him. Kara had never spoken to Adama like that before, and she could tell in that moment he felt betrayed by it.

"Um, sir," began Kara, uncertain how to proceed. "I'm sorry for being so snotty. I know you have your reasons for issuing the order you did. But don't expect me to not be angry about it, or to act the same way with you I always have. Like it or not, this order creates a wedge between us."

Adama nodded. "I know, Kara. I'm sorry. Believe that. It was a very difficult order for me to give. But the reasoning behind it is good. It had to be done. And I want you to know one thing. My order had NOTHING whatsoever to do with you, or my feelings as a father about your worthiness to be married to Lee. If that were all there was to it, I would welcome you to the family with open arms."

"Good to know," said Kara. "I'd hoped you felt that way. It doesn't do me a lot of good right now, though."

"I know," said Adama. He smiled slightly and decided to reach out to Kara once again. "So, you ready to grab your gun and bring home the cat?"

Kara knew what Adama was doing, but she couldn't meet him halfway. "Sorry, sir. The gun and the cat are going to have to stay in the rain. I don't feel like bringing in either, or listening to the rain at the moment. Good day, Commander."

She turned and hobbled away. Adama watched her go until she turned a corner and was out of sight. He stood there for a long time, contemplating what his decision had cost him.

End of Chapter Twenty. Chapter Twenty-one coming soon. As always, feedback/reviews are welcomed and appreciated.


	21. Chapter 21

Notes: Okay, the moment you have all been waiting for. The wedding. I know that there has been a lot of anticipation from my readers for this moment. I hope it meets expectations.

Many of the words used in the wedding ceremony in this chapter are taken from the wedding ceremony conducted in the original Battlestar Galactica episode "Lost Planet of the Gods," the one where the original Apollo married Jane Seymour's character, Serina. I thought the words were lovely and would be a nice homage to the original series. Some of the words I added on to fit the circumstances and fill in some gaps I thought were present in the original ceremony.

**Chapter Twenty-One:**

Lee had everything in place. Kara was now walking around with a cane, and could manage short distances without it. He had Elosha, Dee, and Billy on board for the operation. He also recruited two more needed personnel—Cally and Racetrack. If this operation had been authorized, Lee could have been credited for his planning by his father. But this mission wasn't authorized, and Lee now had to lie to his father to pull it off.

His father was standing at his station in CIC when Lee came in. They hadn't seen much of one another lately, mainly because of Lee's bitterness over his father's orders not to marry Kara. When the younger Adama approached his father, the older man gave him a glance before looking back at a report he was reading.

"Captain," said Adama. "What can I do for you?"

"I wanted to inform you that I will be off ship as of 15:00," said Lee. "I'm flying a Raptor run to Cloud Nine."

"The one for the comms repair," said Adama. Galactica had received the request from Cloud Nine for assistance repairing their damaged comms a few hours ago.

"Yes, sir," said Lee. "I should be back early tomorrow morning."

"Why are you flying a Raptor run?" asked Adama, now looking at his son.

"Before the war started, my Raptor re-quals were coming up soon," said Lee. "I should go ahead and do that, since as the CAG I might be asked to fly one in a combat situation. Racetrack will serve as my back seater."

Adama nodded. "Agreed," he said. "When you get to Cloud Nine, use the opportunity to take a break. You've earned it. But be back here ASAP."

"Yes, sir," said Lee, as he turned to leave CIC. When he left the room, Lee let out a huge sigh of relief. "He bought it," he said to himself.

Lee suited up and went down to the hangar. When he got there, he found Cally and Dee waiting for him.

"Everything set," asked Lee.

"Yes, sir," said Cally. "You're Raptor is up and ready. Your back seater is already aboard."

Lee smiled. "Thanks, Cally. By the way, tell Racetrack to remember to keep out of sight until I return."

"Yes, sir," said Cally. "Have a good flight."

"Right," said Lee. "Dee, let's get aboard."

"Yes, sir," said Dee, with a knowing smile.

When the two of them climbed into the Raptor, Lee put his hand on the shoulder of the person suited up, helmet on, sitting in the back seater's chair. When the hatch closed, Lee spoke to her.

"Ready, Kara," said Lee.

Kara turned in the back seater's chair and smiled. "Damned straight," she said. "I just hope Racetrack doesn't get found before we get back."

"She's got a good hiding place picked out," said Lee, as he sat in the pilot's seat. "She said she was going to take the opportunity to read a good book and rest."

"Great idea by the way, Dee," said Kara. "Billy gets the Captain on Cloud Nine to request assistance repairing their comms, then you volunteer to go and help."

"It was the only way I could think of to go without arousing suspicion," said Dee.

"Well, let's get out of here before something blows the whole thing," said Lee, as he powered up the Raptor's engines.

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Lee and Billy stood with the Priestess Elosha in a small meeting room on Cloud Nine. The room had once been used for business conferences, but it was today to be used as the setting for a wedding. Lee stood in his dress uniform, fidgeting with nervousness as he waited for his bride-to-be.

The door to a small side room opened, and Kara and Dee stepped into the room. Lee recognized the dress Kara was wearing as being the same one she wore to the Colonial Day Ball two years before. She hobbled in with her cane, but Lee couldn't help but admire how she still carried herself with dignity and her own kind of grace.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," said Kara. "Dee and I had some trouble getting this thing not to look wrinkled considering it's been in my locker for a year."

"You're worth waiting for," said Lee, taking Kara's hands. "More than worth all of it."

"Now that we are all here," said Elosha. "Shall we begin?"

Lee and Kara looked the priestess, and then at each other. They nodded in unison as they looked at each other with beaming smiles.

Elosha opened the scroll she was holding. "The words I am about to speak are the most powerful in all the universe. They seal the union between this man and this woman, which is not only for now, but for all the eternities." She looked at Billy. "Billy Keikaya, you have a dual role to serve in this ceremony. You stand with Lee Adama as his Best Man, but also act in the role traditionally held by Kara's father. Billy, as the designated protector of Kara for this ceremony, do you consent to relinquish your responsibilities to Lee, to whom she is to be married?"

Billy smiled. "I do so consent."

Normally, Kara would have laughed hysterically at the notion of Billy Keikaya being her protector, but in this moment, she was caught up in what was happening. She looked into Lee's beautiful eyes and tears began to fall down her cheeks. At long last, Lee Adama belonged to her for keeps, and she belonged to him.

"Kara," said Elosha. "Under the eyes of the gods, do you vow to have Lee as your husband? Do you vow to love, honor, cherish, and care for him, in times of success and times of hardship, for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do give my solemn vow," said Kara.

"Lee," said Elosha. "Under the eyes of the gods, do you vow to have Kara as your wife? Do you vow to love, honor, cherish, and protect her, in times of success and times of hardship, for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do give my solemn vow," said Lee.

Dee handed Elosha a small span of simple rope. The priestess wrapped the rope gently around the joined hands of Lee and Kara. Then, using his free hand, Lee placed a simple wedding band on Kara's finger. Dee handed a similar ring to Kara, who placed it on Lee's finger.

"Lee, Kara," said Elosha. "Under the eyes of the gods, bound by the symbol of the fates of the Lords of Kobol, I declare you sealed."

Lee and Kara smiled, and then kissed one another.

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That night, in quarters Billy helped them to secure, Lee and Kara lay in a posh bed that could have accommodated four people of their size. But the two of them barely took up any room at all. Instead, they both lay on their sides, holding each other close. Kara was nestled against Lee as if she were in a protective cocoon of warmth, his body wrapped around her.

As he caressed Kara's hair gently with his hand, Lee just stared at each Kara with a look of wonder. "What are you staring at?" asked Kara.

"My beautiful wife," said Lee. "Mrs. Kara Adama."

"Yeah," said Kara. "Your wife. And you're my husband. Only, when we leave here tomorrow…"

"Don't think about tomorrow," said Lee. "Tonight is what we think of now. We deal with tomorrow when it comes. But know this. No matter what appearances we have to maintain in public, you are my wife and I am your husband. We know that in our hearts. Nothing can touch that."

"I love you, Lee. So much it hurts to think of being without you."

"I love you, too. And I'm always with you, in your heart if I can't always be in person."

The two of them kissed, and then consummated their marriage, all the while fighting back the coming morning together.

End of Chapter Twenty-One. Chapter Twenty-Two coming soon. As always, feedback/reviews are welcomed and appreciated.


	22. Chapter 22

Notes: This chapter is going to deal with Kara's interrogation of Leoben. Be on the lookout for some major portents of things to come in the words Leoben says to Kara about her relationship with Lee. See if you can figure out what this foreshadows.

**Chapter Twenty-Two:**

Several days after their wedding, Lee and Kara were doing well at keeping up the façade that they were still only a CAG and pilot to one another. Before they left the room where they spent their wedding night, they both removed their wedding rings and put them in their pockets. They would carry them everywhere with them, even though they couldn't wear them.

Kara was working on the Cylon raider when Commander Adama approached her. She hadn't seen very much of him. They had both been deliberately avoiding each other. "Working hard, I see," he said.

"Yes, sir," said Kara, her head still in the guts of the Cylon ship. "Something I can do for you, sir?"

"Yes," said Adama, picking up Kara's cane. He was pacing nervously back and forth, swinging the cane as he hesitated to put this job on Kara. "I need a big favor."

"Doesn't involve any knitting, does it?" she asked.

Adama smiled as something of the Kara he used to banter with shone through the tension that now existed between them. "No, but it is a difficult assignment. I need someone to go to one of the ships in the fleet and interrogate a Cylon prisoner."

Kara looked pointedly at him from underneath the fighter. "Me?"

"Yes," said Adama. "It's a Leoben model Cylon. The same model as the one I killed on Ragnor Anchorage."

"You really expect to get anything out of it?" asked Kara, as her head popped back into the Cylon Raider's cockpit.

"No," said Adama. "But the President has issued her orders, and we are duty bound to obey."

Kara pulled out from under the raider, removed the cap protecting her hair from the sludge inside, and headed towards a computer attached to the raider. She removed the gloves she was wearing, and Adama saw the engagement ring on her finger.

"I see you are still wearing you're engagement ring," said Adama.

Kara turned and looked at him. "Why? You gonna order me to take it off?"

"Kara, don't be like that," said Adama. "Of course I won't. I still hold out hope that someday circumstances will allow for that ring's promise to be fulfilled."

"Yeah, someday," said Kara, turning back to the computer.

Adama quickly changed the subject. "How's it coming with the raider?"

"Well, we've got a lot of systems worked out," said Kara, after a moment of switching gears. "I'm pretty close to getting at its FTL drive."

"That's good," said Adama. "Look, Kara, I know things have been tense between us, but I really need you for this interrogation." He handed her a file folder. As she opened it, Adama continued. "I prepared this profile of him. It's not that Leoben lies. That would be too simple. It's that he mixes lies and truths, both ultimately serving a goal. I need you because you can see through his facades and get at the truth. Find out his goals and stop them. Don't let him get into your head."

"My momma said there's not much in there to get at anyway," said Kara.

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Kara found Lee working at the flight board in the pilot's briefing room. She quickly checked out the room before walking over to Lee.

"Something I can do for you, Lieutenant," said Lee, as he continued to work on writing flight schedules on the board.

Kara walked over and put her arms around him from behind, and rested her head against her back. "Don't worry, we're alone," she said.

Lee turned and put his arms around Kara, kissing her gently on the lips. "What's up?"

"Came to tell you I won't be able to make our rendezvous tonight," said Kara. "I have to go interrogate a Cylon prisoner."

"I know," said Lee. "I was in CIC when Dad informed me of his decision to send you. I had to hide my disappointment that we had to cancel tonight."

"Don't worry," she said. "Soon as I get back, we are going to find some time alone and I will ravage you like a good wife should."

"In the meantime," said Lee. "Please be careful. This Cylon model almost killed my Dad on Ragnor. Don't take any chances. I mean, you're tough and strong, but he's a Cylon. Don't try to be a hero if he comes at you. Especially with your bummed knee."

"I'll watch out. Don't worry about me, okay."

"I always worry about you," said Lee. "I'm your husband. It's my job to worry about you."

"Gods, I love hearing you say you're my husband," said Kara, kissing Lee on the lips with a smile.

"Hopefully I can someday say it openly," said Lee. "With pride that you are my wife."

"Yeah, someday," said Kara. "Lot's of talk about someday around here."

"Someday is hope," said Lee. "It's all we have beyond today."

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That night, Kara walked quietly into the pilot's bunkroom, careful not to disturb the men and women sleeping in the bunks inside the room. She made her way over to Lee's bunk and pulled back the curtain. Lee was sleeping soundly, and Kara watched him for a few moments. She loved watching Lee sleep, and even now the sight brought a smile to her face. But the memory of the past day quickly came back to the forefront, and Kara went ahead and awakened Lee from his sleep.

"Hmm, what," said Lee, as Kara gently shook his shoulder. Lee's eyes opened and saw Kara. "You're back," he said with a smile. But that smile quickly turned to a look of concern as Lee beheld Kara's worn expression. "You okay?" he asked, as he propped himself up to be closer to her.

"Can we go somewhere?" she whispered.

"Sure," said Lee, getting out of bed and putting on a pair of sweatpants.

They walked together to a nearby storage room. Lee opened the door to the room, took a quick peak to see if anyone was inside, and then indicated to Kara the coast was clear. She entered first, as Lee followed and closed the door behind them.

"What happened?" asked Lee.

"He's dead," said Kara, leaning against a set of shelves with blankets stacked on them.

"Who?"

"Leoben. The President ordered that he be flushed out an airlock."

"Oh, yeah, I heard," said Lee. "There was no bomb, thankfully. You did well, Kara. My Dad and the President were pleased."

"Lee, I did some awful things to him," said Kara. "I…I went to a very dark place inside myself to torture that man, and I…"

"That MAN? Kara, it was a machine. A Cylon. A thing."

"Yeah, well, if you had seen him in the moments just before he died, you wouldn't have been so sure. As I watched him fly out into space, I didn't see them flushing a toaster out the airlock. It had all of the feeling of taking a life."

"Kara, whether it was alive or not, it was a threat to the fleet. It had to be done."

"I know. But it still felt…wrong, somehow." Kara was silent for a few moments before continuing. "There was something else. Lee, the Cylons know about me. Leoben said that they have some kind of destiny in mind for me. And he said something else, about us."

FLASHBACK:

"You think you have security in the love you share with a man; a man who takes the name of a false god. The man whom you cling to because being with him makes you forget all the evil that was done to you in your life. You feel worthy in his arms. Cherished and cared for. But Apollo's love won't change what destiny has in store for you. Events will unfold as they have been ordained to unfold, whether you are the bride of Apollo or not."

END FLASHBACK:

"Kara, he's been in the fleet for weeks now," said Lee. "He's probably been gathering intelligence on Galactica's higher ranking officers. He found out about our relationship, and was trying to use it to get to you. That's all."

"I don't know, Lee. The whole experience has just unsettled me. I feel this weight of uncertainty hanging over me. About Leoben's death and about my future."

Lee walked over to Kara and pulled her to him. She clung to Lee and let the warmth of his strong, protective arms envelope her. "Kara, whatever the future has in store for you, I will be right by your side to face it. No matter what."

"I hope so," said Kara. "Because I don't know if I can face the future without you anymore."

They stood there for a long time, as Lee held Kara and gave her solace in the midst of chaos.

End of Chapter Twenty-Two. Chapter Twenty-Three coming soon. As always, feedback/reviews are welcomed and appreciated.


	23. Chapter 23

Note: I wanted to apologize that it took me this long to get back to doing this next chapter. This chapter will take place during the episode "Hand of God", but I wasn't sure going into it how I wanted the AU elements to influence the events of the episode, especially Lee and Kara's interaction with one another. I went through four different draft versions of the chapter before finally coming up with a version that I liked. I hope you find it worth the wait.

**Chapter Twenty-Three:**

Lee stood looking at the plans for the attack on the Cylon refueling base, examining the images taken by the reconnaissance flights in every detail. He was committing the layout of the base and the plan to memory, as he would not have the plans to look at in the cockpit of his Viper.

He admired the simple brilliance of the plan laid out before him. At first, he had been more than a little perturbed at Kara for not only belittling his and Tigh's plan in front of his father, but for also coming up with a new one in half as much time as it took Tigh and himself. But then, he remembered how she had done the same thing to help him with an assignment when he was in War College. She had a brilliant mind for space combat tactics. Lee would be a fool not to recognize it. Not to mention he could take pride in the fact that the brilliant woman behind the plan was his wife, although he could not do so publicly.

The hatch to the room opened, and Lee heard Kara's distinctive footfalls coming into the room. He could hear the slight limp in her movement as she approached him.

"He didn't clear you for the mission, did he?" asked Lee, without even turning around.

"No," said Kara. "He demonstrated how my knee wouldn't take the G's. Not sure if I agree with him, but he's the boss, so…we do what he says."

"Well, most of the time," said Lee, rubbing his finger where his wedding ring should be.

"Yeah, well," said Kara. "If I can't be out there with you on this op, I want to make frakking sure you've got the plan down."

Kara went over every detail of the plan with Lee once again, giving him hints and suggestions along the way. All through the briefing, Lee could hear a tone in Kara's voice that bothered him. She was acting as if she was unsure about whether or not Lee could pull this off. At one point, Lee had to voice his concerns.

"You almost sound like you think I can't pull this off," said Lee.

"Of course not," said Kara, looking at Lee with a less than confident expression. "You'll do fine."

Lee took a deep breath. He knew Kara too well to know that what she last said was hardly a ringing endorsement. "Look, Starbuck, everyone on this ship wishes you were going. And you're worried that I won't pull this off without some last moment, hair-brained maneuver like Starbuck would. But don't think for a second that I can't get it done."

"Let's hope so," said Kara. "Because we've only got one shot at this. Don't frak this up by over thinking."

Kara turned to walk away, but Lee grabbed her arm. "Where the frak is this coming from? You are hardly showing much confidence in your husband's abilities to lead this mission!"

"I'm not speaking to my husband at this moment," said Kara, shaking her arm away from Lee. "I'm speaking to my CAG who has a tendency to over think things and not fly on instinct! Lee, this is going to be a quick op that requires split-second timing and decision-making!"

"Look, Kara, I'm not some frakking nugget! You're treating me like I'm Hot Dog or Chuckles! And the least I could expect from you is some FRAKKING SUPPORT!"

"What, you want me to hold your hand? Hmm? Is that it? You want me to stroke your ego and tell you it's going to be okay? Well, Lee, if you are looking for that, look elsewhere. I'm here to make sure you get your ass back here in one piece and get the mission accomplished!"

Kara turned back towards the door, and this time Lee didn't try to stop her. Instead, he turned back towards the photos of the base, and once again went over the plan. He was determined now more than ever to pull this off, if for any other reason and to prove to Starbuck that he was more than capable of doing it without her.

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Kara watched from the shadows as Lee sat looking at the Viper in front of him. She had gone to find him in his bunk, where hopefully she would find him sleeping. But when she found Lee's bunk empty, Kara went looking for her husband to make sure he was okay. She felt terrible about the way she treated him earlier, and wanted to try and make it up to him. Ultimately, Chief Tyrol said he saw him heading for the flight deck. That's where she found him, sitting alone and forlorn looking at the ship that would carry him into battle tomorrow.

She stood and watched him for several moments, both admiring her husband's beautiful features and pitying the lost look on his face. Kara was just working up the courage to speak to Lee when she saw his father approach him.

"Couldn't sleep?" asked Adama.

Lee looked up and acknowledged his father's presence, then nodded before looking back at the Viper. Adama stood beside Lee, leaning on the same railing that Lee was sitting on. "Neither could I the night before a big op," said Adama. The Commander then looked at Lee's fighter. "Mark II. Good ship. Got me out of a lot of tough scrapes."

Kara just stood in the shadows and listened to their conversation. She knew the two of them had been distant lately, mainly because of Lee's anger over his father's orders preventing him from publicly marrying Kara. Although he had married his beloved in secret, he was still seething from the loss of the right to call Kara his wife outside of private, intimate moments with her. Kara felt guilty about it, even though it wasn't really her fault.

"I've got something for you," said Adama, pulling something out of his pocket. He tossed it to Lee. "This belonged to your grandfather. It was a gift from your grandmother."

Lee examined the small object. Kara recognized it. It was a lighter that Adama had used to light his and Kara's cigars before. It was very old. The Commander had let Kara look at it once. It had Lee's grandfather's name engraved on it.

"Do you see the engraving there?" asked Adama, pointing to it on the lighter.

"I can just barely make it out," said Lee.

"He was a better father than I was," said Adama, in a startling admission. "Your grandfather used to carry that into court cases. He claimed he never lost, unless he left it behind."

Lee clenched the lighter in his hand, and then looked up with a sigh. "So you're worried, too?"

Kara closed her eyes briefly in shame, knowing that the other person he was thinking about who was worried was her.

"About what?" asked Adama.

"Sometimes it feels like the whole ship thinks that…Starbuck…would do better," replied Lee.

Kara had to hold back her tears. She felt so much the urge to run to Lee and tell him that she had every confidence in him, but she didn't want to interrupt what was supposed to be a private moment between father and son.

"I don't," said Adama.

"How can you be so sure?" asked Lee.

Adama looked up at Lee. "Because you're my son."

Lee looked taken aback, then looked at his father. The two of them shared a silent exchange of thoughts with one another, with their eyes saying all that needed to be said. Kara pondered Adama's words, tuning out the rest of the conversation. "It's that simple, isn't it?" she thought. "I love Lee. That's the only reason I need to show him confidence, to let him know that she believed in him. Leave it to the old man to have that little bit of wisdom."

As Adama left, Kara stood and watched Lee smile, knowing that his father had done what his wife failed to do earlier. The latter decided to do something about that.

Kara stepped quietly towards Lee, letting herself come into his field of vision. Lee looked up at her, a guarded smile on his face. The two of them just looked at each other for a few moments before Lee finally broke the silence.

"Gods, you are beautiful," he said.

Kara blushed, not expecting him to throw out that compliment. She always loved it when he called her beautiful. She thought about asking him why he was saying it at that moment, but decided to press forward with her reason for being there.

"Lee, I'm sorry about earlier," she said. "I just feel angry and guilty that I can't be out there with you. I took it out on you, and that wasn't fair. I'm also feeling a little scared. I mean, tomorrow you are going out there and risking your ass and possibly getting it shot off."

"That's a risk we face every time we launch," said Lee. "You know that."

"I know," said Kara. "But faced with the reality of it, combined with the fact I won't be out there to cover you, it just scares me."

Lee stepped down from his seat and walked over to her. He pulled her to him, and gently cupped her cheek with his right hand. Caressing her cheek with his thumb, Lee spoke while looking directly into Kara's eyes. "I'll be okay. I will come back to you. I just have to know that you believe in me."

Kara put her arms around Lee, and gently kissed him on the lips. "I do," she said. "I believe in you. Because you are a born leader, and a great pilot. And I love you for that, and so much more."

"I love you, too," said Lee. "You give me something to come home to. That's important."

He kissed her once again, then just rested his head against hers. After a few moments, Kara pulled back. "You should get some sleep."

"I should, but I can't sleep now," said Lee. "I'm too wired. But maybe if you helped me to work off some tension."

Lee made his intentions clear when he started rubbing her but with one hand, and pulled her back to his body with the other.

"Here on the flight deck?" asked Kara, with a mocked tone of shock. "My, my, what would they say if they knew, Captain?"

"Not on the flight deck?" asked Lee. "Someone might see. I was thinking we could steam up the windows in one of the raptors. Want to try?"

"Anything you say, sir," she said, as he pulled her towards one of the Raptors.

End of Chapter Twenty-Three. Chapter Twenty-Four coming soon. As always, feedback/reviews are welcomed and appreciated.


	24. Chapter 24

**Note: This chapter is short, but get ready for a surprise. **

**Chapter Twenty-Four:**

Captain Lee Adama had been a busy man of late. He led a successful mission that destroyed a Cylon fuel base and secured enough fuel to supply the fleet for at least two years. He had returned to a heroes welcome from the crew of the Galactica, and from his family. Lee would never forget the look of pride on his father's face when father and son saw each other on the flight deck. Despite all of their differences of late over Kara, Lee and his father had been able to put that aside to celebrate the victory together in their own quiet way.

Commander Adama was not the only one who gazed upon Lee with pride that day. During the whole public celebration, Lee could tell that Kara had to hold back the urge to grab Lee and shower him with kisses. Instead, she hugged him once, shared one of her precious cigars, and kept her congratulations on a professional level. Of course, that stopped when they met each other in private later, and Kara treated Lee to a more private celebration in a storage room in the bowels of the ship.

Since then, he and Kara had worked together on security for the first meeting of the new Quorum of Twelve on Cloud Nine. When Adama gave Lee the assignment at the President's request, Lee asked for Kara to be assigned to assist him. The Commander was concerned about putting the two of them together, but Lee convinced his father that he needed Kara's out of the box thinking just as the Commander had with the attack plan for the refueling base. In reality, Lee's reasons were mixed. He wanted her insights and help, but he also wanted an excuse to have her near him for a time.

Together, Lee and Kara had ferreted out an assassin, interrogated him, but met with limited success due to the suspect's murder. In the meantime, a new Vice President was elected, the democratic system was functioning, and the President was safe. Lee was commended once again by his superiors for a job well done.

Now, Lee was performing another duty as the CAG and as the President's military advisor. He was making an appearance at a formal party celebrating the coronation of Vice President Gaius Baltar. Lee stood at the entrance to the ballroom for a moment in full dress uniform and looked at the scene before him. Members of the Quorum were rubbing elbows with leading citizens, while officers and crewmembers from the Galactica were taking the opportunity to have a good time. Lee smiled as he watched a couple of his pilots laughing it up on the dance floor while they tried to dance while intoxicated.

Lee exchanged pleasantries with a few of the guests and made his way to the bar. He smiled as he recognized the woman standing in the blue dress that Lee had only seen her wear twice before. The last time had been the day he married her.

As if sensing his approach, Kara turned and smiled at Lee. He always had felt that Kara was the most beautiful woman in the universe, but when she was all dressed up, Lee couldn't help but feel that she was even more gorgeous. She confidently turned and faced Lee.

"Hey there, handsome," she said.

"Hey," he said. "So, um…that bum knew of yours is looking pretty good."

Kara chuckled and gave him a look that said, "Is that the only stupid remark you can make?"

"And the other one's not looking too bad, either," said Lee.

"Lee, if you wanna dance, just ask me?"

Lee walked up to her, took her hand, and kissed it gently. "Wanna dance?"

"Should we? I mean, others will…"

"I don't give a frak," said Lee. "We're both here, at a dance, and I want to have you in my arms in front of other people for once. We're both dressed to the nines, here. Let's go with it."

"I love it when you get all bold on me, Captain," said Kara. "Besides, me in a dress is a very rare opportunity for you."

He took her arm and led Kara out onto the dance floor. Their minds flashed back to the last time they danced together at a ball, how happy the two of them were. Now, they were still happy to be together, but it was now mixed with the knowledge of the horrors they have experienced since the war began. They weren't the same people they were two years ago on Colonial Day. They couldn't even publicly share the burdens of war publicly as husband and wife. But they did have those special moments, like now, to have each other for a little while.

"Excuse me," said a voice, interrupting their dance. "May I cut in?"

The couple looked to see the new Vice President looking at them with a friendly smile. "With all due respect, Mr. Vice President," said Lee. "Lt. Thrace's dance card is full."

Baltar, not expecting such a rebuff from the Captain, stammered slightly. "Oh, well, um, Lt. Thrace, do you agree with the Captain's suggestion that you are not free to…"

"Get lost, frakwit," said Kara, barely giving Baltar a glance.

Lee looked back and forth between the Vice President and Kara nervously. Calling the Vice President of the Colonies a frakwit was not exactly good form, but Lee couldn't help but love the fire in his beautiful wife.

Luckily, Baltar just looked flabbergasted, turned, and walked away towards another beautiful woman on the dance floor. Lee and Kara looked at one another and laughed.

"Get lost, frakwit?" asked Lee, his face contorted with laughter.

"Well, I had to keep you from getting into a fight with him," said Kara. "I remember what happens when other people ask me to dance when you are around."

"Oh, gods, déjà vu, huh?" asked Lee.

"No kidding," said Kara. "But then as now, I only dance with you. Speaking of dancing, of sorts. I've made some post-party arrangements for us. Dee helped me place a call to Cloud Nine. We have reservations for a private room under the name of Mr. and Mrs. Buckland."

"Buckland?" asked Lee.

"Well, I thought 'Starbuckland' would be pushing it," replied Kara, with a smirk. "Our gang of allies will help cover for us until we get back tomorrow."

"Sounds like we have a date," said Lee.

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Later that night, Lee and Kara covertly met in front of the room Kara reserved under the false names. As Kara unlocked the door, Lee surprised her by picking her up by her legs and back, lifting her into his arms.

"Lee, what are you DOING?"

"Carrying my wife over the threshold," said Lee.

"You did that when we were married, you moron."

"I know. I liked it. Although I might not remember correctly, but it seems you've gotten heavier since then."

"You better not be callin' me fat, or all you will be getting is a good nights sleep."

The door closed behind them as he watched them from the doorway of his own room. A waiter had just brought him and his companion a bottle of fine ambrosia, and the man was paying for it as the young couple came to the doorway just down the hall. He heard the whole conversation, and recognized them both.

"Saul," said a feminine voice from inside. "Bring that bottle in here. What are you standing there for?"

"Coming," said the gruff voice of Colonel Saul Tigh, as he closed the door to the hallway behind him.

End of Chapter Twenty-Four. Chapter Twenty-Five coming soon. As always, feedback/reviews are welcomed and appreciated.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty-Five:**

Lee Adama was having a very good day. All of the flight schedules were done, the CAPs were going without a hitch for once, and the crew was still riding the high from the recent victory over the Cylons at the fuel base. To top it off, the night before, Lee had spent a very wonderful night with his wife on Cloud Nine. He entered the pilot's rec room to join in on a card game, the first he had been able to find time to play in a while. Lee sat at the table across from Dr. Baltar, who seemed to be around the rec room whenever there was a card game with big money to be won.

Laughing, drinking, and playing with the others at the game, Lee felt the war leave him for a while, receding into the background like a bad dream that couldn't intrude into real life. Usually, he only felt like this when he was with Kara. During the course of the game, Kara showed up and sat in for several hands. He had been able to put her back on the flight schedule for the day after tomorrow, and both were happy to have her back into the air.

A little while after Kara sat down, Lee was summoned over the PA system to the Commander's quarters. "A CAG's work is never done, eh Captain?" asked Crashdown.

"I guess so," said Lee. "I had a bum hand anyway."

Lee walked towards his father's quarters still riding the high he had been on all day. When Lee got to the door, he knocked and heard his father's voice call him into the room. Lee opened the door and stepped in to see his father sitting behind his desk. He was staring right at the door, a look on his face that carried quiet anger that Lee recognized. For a moment, a memory flashed into Lee's mind of a time when he was a boy, and his father caught him playing with one of the model ships the elder Adama built from time-to-time.

"Come in and sit down," said Adama, quietly.

Lee closed the door, walked over to a chair. His father's eyes followed the younger man as he crossed the room and sat down. They sat there staring at one another for a long time, neither one looking away. Lee felt as if his father was trying to intimidate him.

"So, um, is there something I can do for you, Dad?" asked Lee, trying to break the ice.

"You can tell me where you were last night," said Adama.

"Last night, sir?" asked Lee. "I was at the party on Cloud Nine, then reported back to the ship and hit the rack."

Adama simply stared at him quietly, letting the moment stand for a short while longer. Finally, the Commander stood up from his desk and walked over to a nearby table. He poured a glass of water. Without turning to look at Lee, the elder Adama drank from the glass.

"Lee," said Adama. "I know."

It took a few moments of silence that followed the remark for its implications to become clear to Lee. The Commander knew about his ongoing, forbidden relationship with Kara. Although, how much of it he knew still wasn't clear. Lee decided to play dumb and get more information.

"Know what, sir?"

"Lee, don't bull shit me," said Adama, as he turned to face his son. "I know about your little overnight layover on Cloud Nine with Kara. Colonel Tigh saw you going into your room with her. He also overheard your conversation. The two of you are married."

"So he knows that much," thought Lee. "No use denying it now." He decided to confront the situation head on. "Yes, Dad. Kara and I married in secret several weeks ago. We still wanted to be together despite your orders, but she didn't want to just have tawdry encounters in storage lockers. So, we married in secret so that the times we had together would have more meaning than that."

Adama simply stood and stared at Lee, his eyes condemning the young man in ways his voice was not needed to do. Lee stood up and continued his defense of his and Kara's actions.

"Look, we launch out into space in our Vipers to fight the Cylons, and Lords knows if we will come back alive! Kara and I can't wait until tomorrow, or the next day, or the next year, because we might not HAVE THAT! All we may have is today, because tomorrow, one or both of us might be DEAD! That's our reality now! Kara and I are in love, and we wanted to be married, and the only thing standing in the way was an unreasonable order from a man who claims to love us both! What did you expect us to do?"

"I expected you to follow your orders, CAPTAIN!" replied Adama, his voice raised and his body tensed with anger. He took a deep breath, and then quieted his voice, but his tone was still one of fury. "All I have heard you say is 'I want' and 'we felt.' You and Kara made a decision to put yourselves ahead of your duty as officers! This is exactly what I was afraid would happen if I let the two of you marry one another! It seems I was right to be worried! Despite my direct orders, you put your own personal feelings ahead of the regulations and ahead of your duty to all those we are sworn to protect!"

"Have my duties suffered in any way! Kara and I have been married for weeks! Have you noticed any lapses in my duties as CAG in that time? In no way has my marriage to Kara interfered with my duty or Kara's!"

"Yes, it has. Lee, I know that the two of you couldn't have gotten married in secret without assistance from at least some members of this crew. The same thing for your secret rendezvous last night. You have deliberately enlisted the assistance of your fellow crewmembers to commit acts that violated the direct orders of the Commanding officer. Is that what a CAG is supposed to do? What kind of leadership example does that set?"

"They never would have gone along with it unless they thought the order was unfair! Maybe that should tell you something!"

"Captain, the simple fact is that there are multiple charges that could be leveled against you. Fraternization with a subordinate in your direct chain of command, disobeying direct orders of your commanding officer, solicitation of acts of mutiny on board ship at a time of war. These charges could be filed against both you and Kara."

"So why isn't she here? She's a part of this."

"Because you are the senior officer. You bear the brunt of the responsibility. And it would not do to dress you down in front of your subordinate, even though you both share in these acts of insubordination. I'll deal with her separately. In the meantime, I've had to consider what to do with you. I need my CAG, but I can't just let this go. Therefore, I am sentencing you to 30 days in the brig, but you will only serve that time when you are off duty."

"So I'm being sent to bed without supper, is that it?" asked Lee, sarcastically.

"I see Kara's been rubbing off on you a little bit," said Adama. "But I suggest you take this a little more seriously. As for your marriage." Adama hesitated before continuing, letting the importance of what he was about to say sink in. He was also dealing with inner pain of having to say this to Lee. "I'm ordering that your marriage be annulled."

"Wha…What?" asked Lee. "You can't…"

"I can," said Adama. "Regulations stipulate that during a time of war, officers of the service must have permission from their commanding officer before they can marry fellow members of the service. You didn't, therefore your marriage to Kara is illegal and is now null and void."

"You bastard!" said Lee. "How can you do this!"

"I HATE DOING IT!" yelled Adama. He let his emotions shine through for a moment, but quickly checked himself before continuing. "You broke the regs, you knew it, now you have to pay the price for it."

"But…"

"Report to the brig!" said Adama. "There is a marine escort waiting outside!"

"Dad," pleaded Lee.

"Dismissed, Captain!"

Lee stood there for a few moments, as the two men stared at each other. Finally, Lee turned and headed for the door. But before he left, Lee said one more thing.

"You lost Mom, you lost Zack," said Lee. "Now you've lost me! I hate you!"

The younger man stepped out of the door, leaving his father standing alone in the room. Adama stood still for a moment, rubbing his eyes with his hand. After a few moments, Adama placed a call to CIC to call for Kara to come to his quarters.

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Kara was walking down the corridor towards the Commander's quarters. She knew Lee was heading that way, and she thought she might intercept him when he left. Even though they had spent the whole night together the previous evening, Kara couldn't get enough of spending time with her husband. She was going to grab him and lead him to a new secret spot she just found for their special times they spent together.

But as she rounded a corner in the corridor, Kara was surprised to see Lee being escorted down the corridor by Marines. They were either going with him under his command, or they had Lee under arrest. Either way, something was going on.

"Captain," said Kara, trying to play it professional with Lee in front of others. "What's…"

"He knows," said Lee, stopping and taking Kara's hand. "Tigh saw us on Cloud Nine. He knows everything."

"He's placed you under arrest!" said Kara, with an incredulous expression.

"Thirty days in the brig," said Lee. "To be served when off duty. But Kara, he also….Kara, he annulled our marriage."

Kara's face showed more shock and anger than Lee had ever seen. "No! He can't do that! He wouldn't!"

"He did," said Lee.

"Let's go, Captain," said one of the Marines.

Lee grabbed Kara and kissed her deeply. When he broke the kiss, he said. "I love you, Kara. No matter if he annuls our marriage or not."

The Marines led Lee away from Kara, who stood there not knowing what to do until she heard her name called over the PA. She was being ordered to report to the Commander's quarters. Kara stormed towards Adama's quarters as emotions swirled in her mind, heart, and soul.

She entered Adama's quarters without knocking, and slammed the door behind her. Adama was pouring a glass of water when Kara came in. He turned and saw the look of fury on Kara's face.

"You know," said Adama.

"Ran into Lee on the way here," said Kara. "Of all the people, I never thought you would betray us…betray me, like this."

"I could say the same to you," said Adama. "You both knew my orders and knew my reasons behind them. You disobeyed them. You left me with no alternatives."

"So am I to assume that I'm to be taken to a cell as well?"

"No. You're not. I need you to wrangle the pilots when Lee is off duty, in case of emergencies when Lee can't respond as fast because of his status in the brig."

"No, sir. I should get the same punishment as Lee!"

"Lee was the senior officer. He bears the brunt of the price to be paid. You bear a different burden. You will have to face knowing Lee is taking the brunt of the punishment for you. And, of course, your marriage is hereby annulled. I assume he told you."

Kara smiled at Adama, but it wasn't a pleasant smile. It was the confident smirk of defiance. She removed her wedding ring from her pocket, where she had been carrying it since she and Lee were married. Kara slipped the ring on her finger.

"Lee and I took vows of marriage in front of the eyes of the gods," said Kara. "I haven't been able to wear this ring publicly. Now, I can. Because no matter what you say, Lee is my husband and I am his wife. So with all due respect, sir, you can take your annulment and shove it up your ASS!"

Adama was angry at first over what Kara said, but he also understood that she loved his son deeply and saw him as the man hurting both of them. He decided to take a conciliatory tone.

"Kara…" began Adama, as he came closer to her to try and calm her. But before he could finish what he was saying, Kara slapped Adama in the face.

Adama physically reeled from the blow, as Kara began crying. "You gonna lock me in the brig with Lee now, too?" she said, in half sobs.

The Commander rubbed his face with his hand, and looked at Kara with carefully contained anger. "I'm tempted to take you over my knee because you are acting like a spoiled brat! I suggest you get out of here and pull yourself together! By you're actions you have already proved the correctness of my decision to keep you two from being together."

"I loved you," said Kara, tears falling down her cheeks. She then turned and ran out of the room.

End of Chapter Twenty-Five. Chapter Twenty-Six coming soon. As always, feedback/reviews are welcomed and appreciated.


	26. Chapter 26

**Note: Remember what Leoben said to Kara in my AU version of the interrogation, from Chapter 22. Here's a recap: **

"Apollo's love won't change what destiny has in store for you. Events will unfold as they have been ordained to unfold, whether you are the bride of Apollo or not."

I said there would be major portents about how the story is going to unfold, and it is in this chapter where the meaning of those words becomes clear.

Chapter Twenty-Six:

The Galactica had been buzzing with activity ever since the Raptor jumped back from Kobol with news that the other Raptors were down, with one crew trapped on the planet by a Cylon base ship. Lee had been busy ever since Boomer's Raptor crew found Kobol, organizing the survey party that was later attacked and then readying Galactica's squadron for a rescue mission afterward. It had been hard working with his father since their previous day's argument, but Lee put his feelings aside to focus on the job at hand.

Lee entered Galactica's flight deck and headed towards the captured Cylon raider. He found Kara working at a computer console hooked up to the machine. He hadn't seen her since their encounter in the corridor on his way to the brig. Lee had been told that Kara wanted to see him about the upcoming rescue mission.

"Hey," he said, casually.

Kara looked at him with a smile. "Hey, baby," she said, pulling him into a passionate kiss. Lee broke the kiss and looked at her with shock.

"Kara, we're in public," said Lee.

"Lee, the gig is up, remember. What's the old man gonna do? Double our marriage annulment?"

"I guess you're right," said Lee. "But the Commander let you off the hook without brig time. I'd kind of like to keep it that way. Anyhow, we'll deal with that later. I've got a lot on my plate right now, but I got the word you wanted to see me."

"Yeah. I've got an idea I wanted to run by you, and then take it to the Commander. I think we can use the raider to help us get our people off Kobol."

"How?" asked Lee, his interest peaked.

"Well, I've mastered all of the raider's systems," answered Kara. "My plan is simple. Strap a nuke to this boy's underbelly…"

"I thought you said it was a girl," said Lee.

"I changed my mind, okay. Quit fooling around and listen…"

"I think I can guess where you are going. Strap a nuke to the raider, you fly it to Kobol, get close to the base ship with the raider, shoot the nuke and jump away."

"Not exactly. We have no way of getting this raider to fire one of our missiles, and it doesn't have the hard points for one either. So we'd have to use the raider itself as a delivery system. I aim this raider at the base ship, eject in my pressure suit, and the raider flies into the base star and BOOM!"

"With you floating out there to witness the fireball?" asked Lee. Then, sarcastically, he added. "That's brilliant, Kara! Absolutely fantastic. Just one problem. It could get you KILLED!"

"Lee, a Raptor could jump in and pick me up after the base ship is neutralized," said Kara.

"Yeah, if you survive the ejection and the explosion, and if the Cylons don't shoot your pretty ass floating around out there."

Kara smirked. "You always did like my ass, didn't you?"

"Kara, stop trying to change the subject!"

"Lee, it's a calculated risk."

"It's and UNACCEPTABLE RISK!"

"Lee, we've got a crew of people trapped down there. Can you think of a better plan that would work as well?"

"Given time, I could probably come up with one where the risk factors are less."

"We don't have the TIME! With that base ship in orbit, it is only a matter of time before the Cylons find them and KILL THEM! Now, think about this. If it wasn't me proposing this, or flying the op, would you consider the plan?"

"What do you mean? Kara, it's too risky, regardless of who's flying the op."

"Lee, think as my CAG, not as my husband. Is this plan a viable alternative?"

Lee was quiet for a moment, looking at Kara in the eyes. She could feel his love and concern radiating from his stare, and felt warmed by it even though it was getting in the way of his ability to look at this plan from a CAG's point of view.

"Lee, close your eyes, think about it logically, and then give me your thoughts."

Lee did as he was told. He closed his eyes, and viewed the operation in his mind. Instead of envisioning Kara flying the raider, he envisioned some faceless pilot in a space suit. He could see it all play out in his head, and finally came to a conclusion.

"It's a good plan," said Lee. "Worth the risk."

He opened his eyes and saw Kara once again, and his heart was screaming at him to take back what he said. But his mind silenced his heart, remembering that his ability to do his job while married to Kara was the very heart of his and Kara's dispute with the Commander. This might be a way for them to prove the old man wrong. More importantly, it may be the only chance the crew on the planet has.

"I'll take it to the Commander," said Lee. "In the meantime, prep this bird for a test of essential systems to make sure you can handle it on an attack run, and work with deck crew on attaching a nuke to the ship."

"Yes, sir," said Kara.

"If this gets approved, just make sure you get back alive. Understood?"

Kara kissed him gently on the cheek. "I will," she whispered, as she pulled back from the kiss.

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Kara was just finished making all of the checks on the raiders systems. The Commander had approved the operation. Lee had delivered the news to her with a sober tone. She tried to comfort him once again, telling him it would be alright. Kara just hoped she wasn't blowing sunshine up Lee's ass and that it would be okay. She knew that if she did get killed on a high-risk operation Lee approved, he might never forgive himself.

"Lt. Thrace," said a man's voice.

Kara turned to find Billy Keikaya, the President's aid, looking at her with a nervous expression. "Lieutenant, the President would like to have a word with you."

"Um, if she wants to give me a pep talk, tell her I really appreciate the sentiment, but…"

"Lieutenant, the President would like to have a word with you," interrupted Billy. He repeated the phrase exactly word-for-word and with the same inflection. Kara thought the young man was acting weird, but she couldn't really place why.

"Fine," said Kara. "Where is she?"

"The ward room," said Billy.

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"You have got to be kidding," said Kara.

That was Kara's reaction to what the President had just said to her in the wardroom. They were alone, just the two of them, and the President had just asked Kara to disobey the Commander's orders, disregard an operation that was her idea, and take the raider back to Caprica to bring back the Arrow of Apollo. It took Kara a total of twenty seconds of silent thought before she could manage that simple response.

"All of this has happened before and all of it will happen again," said Roslin. "The Cylon you interrogated; he quoted that bit of scripture. He also said that we would find Kobol, and that Kobol would show us the way. Did he not?"

"Yes he did," replied Kara, coolly.

"Well, we have found Kobol. Do you believe in the gods, Lieutenant?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but yes I believe," replied Kara.

"Lieutenant, I'm not trying to put you on the defensive, but I'd like you to think this through with me. If you believe in the gods, then you believe in the cycle of time. We are playing our parts in a story that has happened again and again and again throughout eternity.

"That's the way I was raised. But that doesn't mean my part in the story is to go off on some crazy-ass mission against orders. To leave my husband on board this ship without explanation of where I am going or why…"

"He's not your husband anymore, remember," said Roslin. "The Commander annulled your marriage."

"He didn't annul my heart," said Kara. "And you are wasting my time."

As Kara turned to leave, the President spoke to stop her. "Wait, to get back to scripture, may I tell you the part in the story it would seem I am playing? I am dying."

"What?" asked Kara, not sure she heard or understood what the President said.

"I have terminal breast cancer. I have six months to lived at the outside, and I've only told three people so I would appreciate it if you would keep that to yourself."

"Of course," replied Kara, still in shock. Then, she remembered something from the scriptures. "Wait, are you saying that you…"

"The scriptures tell us that a dying leader led humanity to the promised land. If you go back to Caprica and bring me the arrow, it will show us the way."

Kara was astonished by what she was hearing and by what the President was proposing. What was more astonishing to her was that she was actually starting to half-heartedly consider the idea. "This is crazy," she said.

"You keep using that word," replied Roslin. "And it is crazy, perhaps. But that doesn't mean it isn't true. And it may be our only chance…our only chance to find Earth."

"The old MAN is our only chance to find Earth! He knows where it is. He said so! You were THERE! The location is a secret, but he is going to take us there!"

Roslin stood up from her chair and leaned forward on the table towards Kara. "Commander Adama has know idea where Earth is. He never did. He made it up to give people hope."

Kara shook her head. "You're lying."

"And you automatically assume he is not," said Roslin. "You believe in him that much. Despite all he has done lately to undermine your relationship with Captain Adama. Trust me, a man who is capable of annulling the marriage of his son in the name of duty is capable of doing whatever he thinks is necessary for the survival of our people."

"No," said Kara, quietly, her mind swirling with thoughts and emotions.

"He knew the people needed a glimmer of hope to keep them alive, and to keep them in line. He lied. If you don't believe me, why don't you ask him?"

"I will," said Kara.

"Lieutenant," said Roslin. "Kara. Consider this. Finding Earth may be our only chance of not only survival, but also of providing our people with some kind of future. I don't know what plans you and Captain Adama share for your future, but if they involve making a home together and having children, then consider what the future might mean for them if we don't find Earth and if humanity remains on the run. You think about that when you ask the Commander if he knows where Earth is."

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Kara stood staring at the raider from gangway a few feet above the flight deck. Her mind was pondering what the President had said. She wanted to do the right thing, but she didn't know what that was. Her thoughts were clouded with emotions, thus preventing Kara from thinking clearly about the whole matter.

"Lieutenant," said a familiar voice, approaching her from the side.

Kara barely acknowledged the Commander's presence as he leaned against the railing beside her. "Everything ready?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," said Kara. "Although I think I might need one more test of the autonav and maneuvering systems."

"You've got it," said Adama. "I have confidence that you will do well. I know we aren't on good terms right now, but I have faith in your abilities."

"Good to hear," said Kara. She was quiet, considering what she was about to say. Did she really want to say it? Probably not, but in her mind, she had to know. "Despite everything going on with us at the moment, can I trust you to be honest with me?"

"Of course," said Adama. "If I can."

Kara nodded. "How long until we get to Earth?"

Adama looked at her with surprise. He quickly looked back towards the raider. "It's hard to say."

Kara decided to press, even though she was sure by now what the answer to her real, but unspoken question was. "Care to take a guess."

"You know I don't like to guess," said Adama, looking at Kara this time.

"Are we getting closer?" asked Kara.

"Probably," said Adama. "I'd better let you get back to work. Good luck."

Kara watched Adama go, and it became clear what she had to do. For Lee, for everyone, she had to go to Caprica.

Later, in the raider, Kara was going through all of the checks of the ship's systems, as she was flying out around the Galactica under the pretense of a test. Lee was flying his Viper nearby, monitoring her during the test.

Kara closed her eyes and thought about it one more time. Once again, she came to the same conclusion. She activated her com. "Galactica, this is Starbuck. Request permission to speak to Galactica Actual."

"Stand by," said Dee's voice.

A few moments later, the Commander's voice came over the com. "This is Galactica Actual. Go ahead, Starbuck."

"You lied to me," she said. "About Earth. You don't know where it is, do you?"

"What?" came the reply.

"It wasn't enough that you annul my marriage to Lee, that you have gotten in the way of our relationship allowing us what little happiness there is to be had in our lives for now, but that you lied to us all about our hopes for the future."

"Starbuck, come back to the ship. We can talk about this."

"I'm done talking."

She powered up the raider's hyper drive. Galactica's sensors must have detected it because the Commander's voice came over the com once again. "Kara, what are you doing?"

"Giving us hope," said Kara. "Hopefully real hope this time."

Kara began crying as she spoke into the com once again, this time to the man she loved who was flying the Viper near her ship. "Lee, can you hear me?"

"Yes, Kara. I can. But what the frak are you up to?"

"I have to do this, Lee," said Kara, her voice tainted with sobs. "For you, for me, for us all. If we are going to have a future, I have to do this. Forgive me, and know that I love you with all my heart."

"Kara, what…."

Kara's ship disappeared in the telltale signs of a hyper jump, as she went off to meet her destiny.

"Oh GODS!" screamed Lee. "Galactica, Apollo here. She's gone! She jumped away!"

End of Chapter Twenty-Six. Chapter Twenty-Seven coming soon. As always, feedback/reviews are welcomed and appreciated.


	27. Chapter 27

**Note: Okay, faithful readers, I've managed to keep your attention thus far. I want to thank all of you who have been reading, both those who have provided reviews and those who have chosen to remain silent as you read. I appreciate all of you and your interest in my story. Now, let's see if you can figure out what is going to happen in this chapter. Let me know if I manage to surprise you.**

**Chapter Twenty-Seven:**

When the raider jumped back into normal space, Kara saw nothing but stars in her field of view. It took her a few moments to orient herself to her new surroundings, which was not helped by the fact her eyes were still filled with tears after her last words to Lee. Kara quickly let her training kick in and pushed her emotions aside.

"Okay, I jumped, where the frak am I?" she asked herself.

Kara turned her raider, and as she did, a planet came into her field of view. She had seen it too many times not to recognize it.

"Oh, I am good," she said to herself. "I am REALLY GOOD!" She laughed at her own accomplishment with a clear tone of satisfaction. "I'm home! Oh, Lee, I wish you were here with me to see it one more time." The sadness returned once again, and even though she had not been away from him long, Kara already missed him. "I just hope you forgive me, baby," she said to Lee, even though he wasn't there to hear the words.

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Lee stormed onto the CIC in a mix of panic and rage, not knowing where Kara was or why she jumped away. He hadn't bothered changing out of his flight suit, and his head was soaked with sweat from the emotional high he had been on since seeing Kara vanish.

"Any word?" asked Lee, as he walked up to his father and Colonel Tigh.

"Nothing from Starbuck," said Tigh. "I still can't believe she did this, even if she was asked to do it by the frakking President?"

"Wha…what?" asked Lee. "What the frak is going on!"

"Apparently, President Roslin coerced Starbuck into jumping back to Caprica," said Adama. "We just got off the wireless with her."

"CAPRICA!" yelled Lee. "What could she POSSIBLY want her to do that for!"

"The President believes that the Arrow of Apollo, located in a museum in Delphi, will help us find Earth," said Adama, his voice filled with contained anger.

"It's frakking NONSENSE!" said Tigh. "The woman has cracked!"

"I still can't believe this!" said Lee. "I can't believe Kara would go for a stunt like that!"

"Starbuck has always been impulsive!" said Tigh. "You both know it, even though you indulge her in it too much!"

"But she wouldn't have done something like this," said Lee. "She wouldn't have just jumped and left behind everything! Commander, I couldn't help but overhear what she said over the com to you. What did she mean you lied to her?"

"About Earth," said Adama. "I lied about knowing where Earth was. Roslin knew it. She must have told her."

"I can't believe she would do that," said Lee. "I mean, the President…"

"She's not the President anymore," said Tigh. "The Commander has ordered her to step down, or be forcibly removed."

"Wait, do we have that authority?" asked Lee.

"Yes," said Adama. "She undermined a military operation in direct violation of my agreement with her regarding separation of military and civilian concerns. She suborned mutiny on MY SHIP! And she turned Starbuck against me."

"Well, I think you've done that already lately," said Lee, half-sarcastically.

"Lee, now is not the time," said Adama.

"No, maybe it IS the time!" said Lee, forcefully. "If you hadn't annulled our marriage…"

"If you hadn't disobeyed orders, you wouldn't have put me in the position to alienate her in the FIRST PLACE!" replied Adama, with a low growl.

"Gentlemen, we can save recriminations on that issue for later," said Tigh. "And just for the tally books, the President knew about your orders annulling Lee's and Starbuck's marriage, didn't she?"

Adama and Lee both looked pointedly at Tigh. "She did," said Adama.

"Who's to say that frakked-up woman didn't exploit Starbuck's emotions on that issues as well?" said Tigh.

Lee's face turned red with anger. "That BITCH!" he said, with quiet fury. "She manipulated Kara, that frakking BITCH!"

"Lee, calm down!" said Adama. "We can ask Roslin exactly what she did to get Kara to jump to Caprica AFTER we have her behind bars!"

"What about going after Kara?" asked Lee.

"We can't be concerned with that now," said Tigh. "If she jumped back there…"

"We'll see if we can figure out something later," interrupted Adama, preventing Tigh from finishing his thought and worrying Lee any more than he was. "In the meantime, we have a dangerous woman in charge of the government, and a crew still strapped on Kobol by a Cylon base ship. I have an idea about the latter. In the meantime, Colonel, plan an op to remove Roslin by force if necessary. Lee, you will assist him."

"With pleasure," said Lee.

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"I love you Lee," thought Kara, as she charged the blonde Cylon she had been fighting with and losing to over the past few minutes of agony. This was her last shot at victory, and it was one that could get her killed. Her last thoughts were of Lee as she plunged with the Cylon over the edge of the hole. They landed with a humungous thud that temporarily knocked the wind out of Kara.

As she lay there, half dazed from the impact, Kara could hear someone call her name, but it sounded like it was echoing from miles away. An eternity seemed to pass until strong hands lifted her off of the fallen Cylon, who was apparently dead, and leaned her against the wall. The hands were strong, yet gentle, as they rested her against the wall, and for a moment, Kara thought it might be Lee.

"Lee," she whispered, thinking he might have somehow come to Caprica after her.

"Kara, it's me," said the voice. "It's Karl Agathon. It's Helo."

Kara's eyes began to focus on the familiar face in front of her. She smiled as she recognized it. Although she was initially disappointed that it wasn't Lee, she was more than happy to see her old friend staring at her with a mixture of concern and happiness.

"You are the LAST person I thought I would EVER see again!" said Helo, with enthusiasm.

Kara put her hands on Helo's shoulders, partly to convince herself it was really Helo and partly to show her joy at seeing him. "I thought you were dead! It's good to see you!" she said, with a big grin on her face.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kara saw movement up above on the level she fell from. When she looked up, Kara saw a familiar figure standing there with a look of apprehension on her face.

"Boomer," thought Kara, as she looked at the woman with shock. "What is she doing here? She's back on Galactica? How…"

In that moment, truth became clear to Kara. She glanced at the dead Cylon woman lying on the ground, and then looked back at Boomer with growing panic. "No!" she thought.

Kara instinctively pulled Helo's pistol from its holster, and moved to fire at Boomer. "She's a CYLON!" screamed Kara. Helo knocked the gun away from Kara as she fired. The shot missed, and Boomer ran away.

"No, Kara!" shouted Helo. "Don't shoot, she's pregnant!"

Kara looked at Helo with a mixture of rage, fear, confusion, and pain. It was all too much for her, and she finally just collapsed back against the wall with a cry that said "ENOUGH!" in ways that the word alone could never express.

"Frak, Lee, I left you behind for this!" she thought to herself.

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Lee and his father both watched as Laura Roslin quietly stepped into her cell in Galactica's brig. The operation went off without a hitch, and fortunately for all, Roslin decided to surrender without allowing bloodshed. As they all stood there with guns pointed at each other before the President surrendered, a voice in the back of Lee's mind was telling him that this was wrong, that they were sacrificing their democracy for a military dictatorship. But Lee's anger at Laura Roslin for what she did to manipulate Kara silenced those logical thoughts. When Roslin surrendered, Lee personally escorted the President into custody.

"I'm surprised at you, Captain," said Roslin, as he led her away from her disarmed guards.

"I could say the same, Miss Roslin!" said Lee, with a note of sarcasm and anger.

Now, Laura Roslin stared at the two Adamas from behind bars with quiet dignity, attempting to shame the two men for what they had done. The Commander did not flinch outwardly, and neither did Lee. But that little voice in the back of Lee's mind was still telling the young man this was wrong.

As the two Adamas walked down the corridor away from the brig, they didn't say anything at first. Finally, Lee closed his eyes, and asked the question that was in the back of his mind.

"Dad," he said, calling the old man that for the first time since the latter annulled Lee's marriage. "Did we do right?"

Adama looked at his son, then faced forward once again as they walked. "Honestly, I don't know. But as I once told you, a man faces his actions and accepts the consequences, and learns to live with them every day. We'll have to do that now. But we couldn't let her continue in the seat of government, not with her religious ideology influencing her actions and compelling her to undermine the authority of the officers who command this fleet's only line of defense. Whether that was right or not; that's not so easy to answer. In the meantime, we have two of your pilots meeting us in CIC so we can congratulate them on a job well done."

"At least we know they did right," said Lee.

"Yes, they did," said Adama.

The two men continued their walk to CIC in silence, both men considering the consequences of all they had done. When they got there, they found Boomer and Racetrack standing with big smiles on their faces, apparently flushed with triumph after having successfully destroyed the Cylon base ship orbiting Caprica using a daring tactic devised by the Commander himself, though it was based on Kara's original idea. Colonel Tigh was finishing shaking their hands in congratulations, and walked away towards the opposite end of the CIC.

Both Commander Adama and Captain Adama walked over to the two pilots. Lee stepped off to the side to allow his father to congratulate them first. The elder Adama shook hands with Racetrack first, then Lee followed suit as his father went to shake Boomer's hand.

But Lee was startled when a loud boom reverberated just a few inches away from him. Lee watched in horror, as his father was knocked backward by the impact of a bullet into his chest. He had little time to react as Boomer, the one who had apparently shot the old man, then turned her gun towards Lee. He was just barely able to grab Boomer's arm before she fired at him. The bullet slammed into Lee and sent him flying to the deck, as two Marines finally tackled Boomer. Lee's universe became one of pain as he felt the physical pain from being shot and the emotional pain of seeing blood pouring out of his father as Tigh and Gaeta pulled him onto the conference table.

End of Chapter Twenty-Seven. Chapter Twenty-Eight coming soon. As always, feedback/reviews are welcomed and appreciated.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter Twenty-Eight:

Lee's world had become one of pain and terror. He sat on a bed in Galactica's sick bay, as a medic stitched up his shoulder. The anesthetic he had been given dulled the pain of his wound and immobilized the muscle around it, but did not completely dissipate it. The medics had wanted to anesthetize him out to perform the procedure, but Lee insisted that only a local anesthetic be used. He wanted to watch them work on his father.

The bullet fired by Sharon Valeri penetrated Lee's upper right shoulder, sending the young man reeling to the deck from the impact. However, the medics said the bullet went clean through, causing some muscle damage and bleeding. They quickly got the bleeding under control and proceeded to stitch up his wound. But as Lee sat in sickbay, his greatest source of pain at the moment was not from where he was shot.

On an operating table across the sick bay, nurses and medics frantically worked to stabilize Commander Adama, who was wounded far worse than Lee was. Sharon's shot entered right into Adama's chest. From what Lee heard, the round may have damaged his father's vital organs beyond repair. They were trying to control the bleeding, to keep the old man from bleeding out before Doctor Cottle could operate on him. 

Sharon Valeri had been one of Lee's best pilots. Whenever he had a tough Raptor assignment, he always called Sharon because he trusted her the most to get the job done. Now, it looked like all that time, Lee had trusted a Cylon operative, and she had now possibly killed his father. 

To top it off, Lee also had to worry about his wife, who was now gods knows where and more than likely in grave danger. If Sharon had been in contact with the Cylons, even if sub-consciously, then they might know that Kara was coming and she could have been flying right into a trap. All kinds of possibilities ran through Lee's mind, and all the while he knew that he couldn't help her no matter what was happening to her. 

While the medic's worked on Lee, he became more and more apprehensive as Doctor Cottle still had not arrived. "Where the frak is Cottle!" screamed Lee.

"He should be here any moment," said one of the medics. "He was supposed to be on a Raptor to Galactica as soon as we jumped."

"We jumped ten FRAKKING MINUTES AGO!" screamed Lee. "Where is he!"

"Sir, please sit still," said the medic, as he tried to stitch up Lee's wound. "You are not making our job any easier!"

"Lee," said a gruff voice, coming up beside him.

Lee looked up to see Colonel Tigh. "How's your wound?" asked Tigh, as the older man's eyes were focused on Commander Adama across the room.

"Shoulder wound," said Lee. "Round went clean through. I should be okay."

"You grabbed Sharon's gun at the last moment before she fired," said Tigh. "That probably saved your life. She probably would have shot you in the chest just like Bill."

"Where the FRAK is COTTLE!" said Lee, now frantic.

"He's not coming," said Tigh, gravely.

"WHAT!" yelled Lee. "What the FRAK do you mean!"

"When we jumped," said Tigh, "the rest of the fleet didn't jump to our new position. Gaeta believes that they jumped to old emergency coordinates because we hadn't yet uploaded the update to the fleet."

"Oh, that's just GREAT!" yelled Lee. "Meanwhile, my Dad is dying on the operating table because Cottle was off making HOUSE CALLS and now can't get BACK!"

"We'll find a way to rejoin the fleet!" said Tigh, forcefully. "I will not let Bill Adama die on my watch! Captain, I need you to settle down and focus!"

"My father may be dying!" said Lee. "No, he IS DYING! My wife is AWOL on a Cylon occupied world, if she's lucky, and you want me to 'settle down' and 'focus'!"

"YES!" yelled Tigh. "You are a Captain in the Colonial Fleet, a senior officer on this ship, and the air group's CAG! We need you! Your father is counting on you, would trust you, to do your duty! Now, as soon as the medics clear you, I want a status report on our Viper squadrons! Also, make sure we have some Raptor's ready to go in case we need them to reconnoiter for the fleet!"

Lee was silent for a moment, looking back and forth between Tigh and his father. His mind swirled with emotions, but finally Tigh's words worked their way through Lee's feelings of the moment. Everyone was counting on him.

"Aye, sir," said Lee, closing his eyes, and nodding his head.

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The music started to play as Kara sat down. She never thought she would hear this music again, at least not for real. Sometimes, she could close her eyes, and hear the music in her mind. But she was hearing it for real, sitting in her old apartment in Delphi, letting the sound of her father's music wash over her. She said something to Helo, who sat down on the chair opposite her, about this being her father, about the apartment being overpriced and too hot in the summer, or some other such nonsense. Kara only half-cared what she was saying to Helo. Instead, she lost herself in her own thoughts and emotions.

For a time, Kara pondered what few memories she had of her father, as she always did when she heard the music. That was the primary reason she played it, because it was her last real connection to a father who long ago abandoned her and her mother. It also appealed to Kara's artistic side, which appreciated painting, classical music, and poetry, a side that most would never expect from the brash and often crude Kara "Starbuck" Thrace. It was the side of herself she inherited from her dad. But there was one person who knew all about it, and much more, and this time the music brought back memories of him, too.

Kara thought back to when she first brought Lee to this apartment two years ago. It seemed inconceivable to her that it had only been two years. All of the events of that time seemed like ancient history now. She remembered playing the music, as Lee listened patiently as Kara told him about her childhood, about who she was and where she was coming from. She had brought him there as a test, to see what he would do. Kara already had strong feelings for Lee Adama at that time, but didn't know if he felt the same way. She knew that he had pursued her, despite her attempts to rebuff him, but she wanted to see if Lee would continue to do so knowing who and what she truly was. 

To her good fortune, Lee had decided he wanted her, and wanted to try to be with her. She smiled as she thought about that weekend she spent in Lee's arms in this apartment. That weekend started Kara on her journey with Lee Adama, a journey that led her to what she would never thought she would have; love and belonging. 

"And I've probably thrown it all away," thought Kara. "All for a stupid arrow that a President with religious delusions sent me to find. Lords, Lee will never forgive me."

Kara wanted to cry, but refused to let her inner turmoil show. Helo just watched her from the chair, trying to read her thoughts, but Kara didn't let him. She just wore a neutral expression on her face, as her mind filled with sorrow. In the past twenty-four hours, she had found one friend still alive, and that another was an enemy. Another enemy had almost killed her, and the pain from her injuries added to Kara's misery. She had betrayed her husband and her father, the only two people who ever loved her completely.

"Lee, maybe it would have been better for you if you had walked away from me that day," she thought, remembering Lee's choice to stick with her in that other lifetime. "Even if I can get back to you, you probably won't even want me anymore."

Should she even try to get back? This thought caused the survivor in her to fight through the emotional turmoil in Kara's mind. Kara did as she always did; she took her losses in stride, put away her pain, and pressed forward with her no-nonsense Starbuck way. Kara reached into the pocket of the old jacket she had put on, and found the keys she remembered where there.

Kara puffed on her cigar, and smiled. "You tired of walking?" she said to Helo.

As they left, Kara closed the door on the apartment, and with it her memories of the life she once had, and a life she feared she had lost with the only man she had ever loved. As she walked down to the garage where her truck was stored, Kara felt the Arrow of Apollo in her hand, and only hoped it was worth all she stood to loose.

End of Chapter Twenty-Eight. Chapter Twenty-Nine coming soon. As always, feedback/reviews are welcomed and appreciated. 


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter Twenty-Nine:**

Lee Adama was furious. He stormed down the corridors of Galactica, heading towards CIC, and everyone he saw along the way practically backed up against the walls to let him pass. No one wanted to get in the way of the force in human form that was Captain Lee Adama for the time being.

The past couple of weeks had placed tremendous pressures upon Lee. His father was still in a coma, there was still no word about Kara, he had helped fight off a Cylon boarding of the Galactica, and had managed to organize and lead a rescue mission to Kobol to save the survivors of their stranded survey team.

But now, Lee was having to deal with an increasingly erratic Colonel Tigh. If Lee was having problems coping with the myriad crises and personal turmoil in his life, Tigh was not coping at all. He was definitely drinking a lot more, and kept making messes that Lee would try to clean up. But this time, Lee didn't think he could clean up the mess Tigh made.

When he got to CIC, Lee saw Tigh standing at the plotting table with Lt. Gaeta. Lee marched right over to him.

"SIR!" he yelled. "How could you send that boarding party over to that re-supply ship without checking with me!"

"The last time I looked, I don't HAVE to check ANYTHING with you!" yelled Tigh. "I'm in command of this ship!"

"You could have at least sent me in charge!" said Lee. "That boy you sent wasn't equipped to handle that situation!"

"That boy is an officer, and therefore should be able to command in any situation!" replied Tigh.

"He's a PILOT!" countered Lee. "Not a crowd control expert! Now, because of you, we have dead civilians on the DECK, shot by our MEN!"

"This is exactly why I didn't send you!" said Tigh. "You have been getting more and more insubordinate lately! I know you are upset about your father and that frak-up of a girl you call your wife…"

Lee closed the distance with Tigh with a look of fury on his face. "WATCH, YOUR, STEP, COLONEL!" said Lee, in a quiet tone nonetheless filled with rage.

"No, you watch yours, CAPTAIN!" said Tigh. "Now, get out of my CIC, or I'll throw your ass into the brig!"

Lee didn't bother to say anything else. He simply turned and stormed out of CIC. Lee didn't know where he was going, but instead just tried to put as much distance between him and Tigh as possible.

"Captain Adama," said a familiar male voice.

Lee stopped and saw Billy Keikaya step towards him from a side corridor. "Whatever it is, now is not the time, Billy!" said Lee, sternly.

"I'm sorry, but the President…"

"I've told you before, and I will tell you again," said Lee. "I have nothing to say to Roslin, and there is nothing she can say that I want to hear."

"Please, Captain," said Billy. "She knows about what happened today. The dead civilians. She really needs to talk to you."

Lee took a deep breath. Billy had been pestering him lately about the President wanting to see him. Lee would have none of it. He was still pissed at her for manipulating Kara into undertaking that mission to Caprica. But now, Lee was losing confidence in Colonel Tigh, and was running out of people to turn to. Right now, he was ready to grasp at anything that might give him hope that the madness that had become his life would end.

"Fine," said Lee. "Let's go."

When Lee got to the brig, he found Roslin sitting in her cell reading a book. It looked like a religious text, but since Lee wasn't particularly religious himself, he didn't recognize it off hand.

"Captain," said Roslin, putting down the book and standing to face Lee. "I'm so glad you agreed to see me. Sergeant, Billy, could you give us some time."

Both the guard and Billy left the brig, and closed the outer door behind him. Lee found it odd that a guard was leaving his post at the behest of the prisoner he was supposed to be guarding, but didn't dwell on it. Instead, he stood facing the woman in front of him. The anger came back to the surface within moments.

"So, I hear you are some kind of prophetess now," said Lee, the spite evident in his voice. "Interesting play on your part, announcing your illness to the Quorum of Twelve."

"Frankly, I don't know," said Roslin. "All I know is that I am meant to play some part in a story that was foretold by the scriptures. I didn't ask for this, but it is what the gods have handed to me."

"So are you next going to tell me that Kara's little trip to Caprica for some frakking arrow was also foretold by the scriptures?" asked Lee. "Because if you are going to tell me that it was the fault of the gods that Kara was manipulated into taking on your frakking assignment, I am leaving!"

"Captain, I know why you are angry and you have every right to be," said Roslin. "I know you love Lt. Thrace very deeply, and that you must be worried sick over her safety at this moment. Perhaps I did manipulate her into retrieving the arrow, but it was ultimately her choice to make."

"She never would have betrayed my father unless you put her up to it," said Lee.

"I never could have gotten her to go against your father if the Commander did not plant the seeds of her rebellion in her," said Roslin. "He was the one who annulled your marriage, and who worked to keep you apart from one another. And Kara herself had put your father up on a pedestal. It turned out he was only human after all, and that hurt Kara as well."

Lee became silent. He knew in his mind that was Roslin was saying was at least partly true. Kara probably wouldn't have done this if it weren't for her anger at his father.

"Captain…Lee," said Roslin. "Remember when you did some manipulating of your own? You forced both your father and myself into a settlement with Tom Zarek and into agreeing to hold presidential elections. You did so in the name of democracy. Both your father and I were mad as hell at you. But I think I was actually angry with you the most because in my heart I knew you were correct. It is not enough to stay alive. We have to maintain our society and civilization, including a civilian government. If we succumb to a military dictatorship…"

"Should that civilian government be ruled by someone who is less than competent?" asked Lee.

"I see, and you are the one who gets to decided if I am competent to be president or not," said Roslin. "Or your father is. Where are military coups allowed in the constitution, Captain?"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," said Lee.

"So you help remove the rightful president of the colonies from office by force of arms," said Roslin. "So much for your high-minded ideals about democracy. And let's be honest. Did you really help to remove me from Colonial One that day because you don't trust my leadership, or was it because I sent Lt. Thrace on dangerous, unauthorized mission?"

"Maybe a little bit of both," admitted Lee.

"So you get to throw away democracy because of a personal vendetta," said Roslin.

"It wasn't my decision," said Lee. "It was my father's."

"You were just following orders," said Roslin. "How many crimes have been committed in history by people who used just that same excuse?"

Lee looked away from the woman in the cell; suddenly feeling a little bit of shame over what he took part in. His grandfather had been a constitutional attorney, and he grew up admiring the stands he took in the name of freedom. Lee grew up believing in democracy, and he had done something to threaten that belief because of his personal anger.

"Let me ask you this," said Roslin. "How do you like the alternative? Tigh orders the forcible taking of supplies, and sends soldiers over who kill civilians in the process."

Lee hung his head and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. He turned to look at her. "Tigh is becoming unhinged," said Lee. "He can't handle the command, but I just…don't know what to do about any of it."

"Lee, I need to get out of here," said Roslin. "I need to gain public support to restore a democratic government and bring order to the chaos that is threatening to rip apart what remains of our people. I also need to get to Kobol, to be there when your wife returns with the arrow. If it leads us to Earth, then that may be our people's salvation. Your father told the people that when we started our journey. I just want to make his words become reality."

"He still hasn't regained consciousness," said Lee. "He is still in a coma, and you want me to help you betray him."

"He made a decision in the heat of anger just as you did," said Roslin. "I want to put things right, and to keep the word that he gave to the people about Earth. But I can't do that without your help. In the meantime, Tigh's power goes unchecked, and this fleet continues on the road towards disaster. You once believed in me, and helped me. I need you to do so again."

Lee was silent for a long time, absorbing everything that had been happening since the day Kara left, and everything Laura Roslin just said to him. Had he really allowed his personal feelings to override his beliefs and ideals? Had his father done the same? Was there any other way to try and put things right? Lee didn't know. He just felt that he needed to do something to end the madness, and Laura Roslin might have a way of doing that. Finally, Lee nodded his head.

"Okay," he said. "I'll try to work out something."

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It had been such a long time since she played pyramid. The game had been such a big part of her life once. It was her way out of the misery that home represented to her as a young woman. When she injured her knee in a pyramid tournament, and lost her athletic scholarship, Kara had thought her life was over. But then she discovered her new life as a pilot. Still, the game of pyramid would always have a special place in her heart. Spending the day playing it had relieved some of the tension she had been feeling for what seemed like an eternity now. The whole world fell away as she played the game against an opponent who more than challenged her abilities.

Only the end of the world would give Kara Thrace a chance to play pyramid with Samuel Anders of the Caprica Buccaneers, one of the top teams in the colonies. As she ran around the court with Anders, Kara could feel the thrill of competition overwhelm them both. And perhaps, something else was happening between them as well. Kara generally knew when men were attracted to her, and Anders made no pretense about it. Every time they collided on the pyramid court, Kara could feel Anders' hands linger on her body.

As they walked away from the pyramid court towards one of the buildings, Kara took a few good looks at Anders. He was definitely an attractive man, and he was certainly her type. Several times on the court, when their bodies collided, she felt her own arousal at the feeling of his strong, lithe body against hers.

They went into one of the classrooms in the school that was transformed into a base of operations for Anders' resistance group. There was a teacher's desk in the middle of the room and a couple of makeshift bunks laid out around it. Anders sat down at the desk, pulled out a box of cereal, and began to eat.

"Have a seat," said Anders. "You've got to be starving. There's plenty here."

"What have you got?" asked Kara, sitting down at the desk.

"Well, all the best cuisine," said Anders. "Corn flakes, bran cereal, corn puffs."

"All you have is breakfast food?" asked Kara.

"All that was left in the school cafeteria that wasn't spoiled," said Anders. "We've made several raids on grocery stores, but its best to use up the older stuff first."

Kara sat and ate a box of cereal, while she engaged in conversation with Anders. They talked about pyramid mostly, avoiding any subject dealing with their new reality. After finishing their meal, Kara got up from her seat.

"So, where can I crash?" asked Kara. "I'm pretty worn out."

"Any bunk in here is fine," said Anders. "I tend to sleep in that one over there."

He pointed to one of the bunks, and then walked over to be closer to Kara. "You sure you feel like going to sleep?" asked Anders.

"Why do you ask?" replied Kara.

Anders put his arms around Kara, and brought her body up to hers. "Don't tell me you aren't attracted to me. I'm sure as hell hot for you."

"We barely know each other," said Kara, a slight smile on her face.

"I know all I need to, considering our circumstances," said Anders. "What the frak do we have to loose, except a great frak if we decided not to?"

Kara thought about Anders' words. "What do I have to loose?" Kara thought to herself. "Lee will probably never speak to me again. And Anders is probably a great frak."

Anders took Kara's silence for willingness. He pulled her closer and started kissing her. Kara began running her hands through Ander's hair, and then along his muscular back. She could feel the bulge in his pants rub against her, and it made her own arousal grow with each passing moment.

Anders began leading Kara over to one of the bunks. He pulled her down on top of him, and began removing her shirt. Kara was working at the belt of his pants. But as she did, Kara caught sight of something glinting on her finger. It was her wedding ring, the one she put one when she promised to be Lee Adama's wife. The day she became sealed to him for life. Sudden shame washed over Kara, and she jumped off of Anders as if the very sight of him revolted her.

"Hey, what gives?" asked Anders, sitting up with a flustered expression.

"Not me, let's put it that way," said Kara.

"Why? I thought…"

"Look, Anders, we are not going to frak! End of story!" yelled Kara. "Now, I want to sleep somewhere else!"

"Fine," said Anders, a tone of irritation in his voice. "But at least you could give me an explanation!"

"Fine, I'm married. How's that? My husband is back on Galactica! He may never speak to me again because I took this little field trip back to Caprica without telling him beforehand, but I'll be damned if I'll cheat on him. I love him too much!"

Kara stormed out of the room and left Anders sitting on the bunk in shock. As she marched down the hallway, Kara was mentally kicking herself for what she was about to do.

"Kara," said a familiar voice.

Helo grabbed her by the arm from behind. Kara spun to look at him.

"WHAT!" asked Kara, in an irritated voice.

"I've been wondering where you got off to," said Helo.

"Looking for a rack to sleep in," said Kara. "Where have they got you sleeping?"

"In a room down the hall," said Helo. "A history classroom. Ironic thing is, I always sucked at history."

"Fine, you've got a roommate," said Kara. "Let's get some sleep, huh."

"Sure," said Helo. "Just as long as you don't snore."

End of Chapter Twenty-Nine. Chapter Thirty coming soon. As always, feedback/reviews are welcomed and appreciated.


	30. Chapter 30

**Note: The first part of this chapter is a little rough, but it speaks to Kara's insecurities about what she did and how it will affect her relationship with Lee. However, get ready, because our two lovers will be reunited in this chapter. What will happen when they meet again? Read on and find out.**

**Chapter Thirty:**

Kara woke up in the bed. She couldn't see very clearly at first, but there was someone sitting in a chair next to the bed. When her vision began to clear, Kara recognized the form sitting in the chair. A smile formed on her face.

"Lee," she said, in a hopeful voice. "Oh, thank the gods, you're here."

"Yeah, I'm here," said Lee. "We hooked up with the resistance movement, found out you got hurt and were in this clinic."

"We?" she asked.

"Yeah, I brought a rescue party," he said.

Kara was smiling, but Lee was not. She could tell by his expression that he was angry. "Lee, you came for me, even though…"

"Even though what?" asked Lee. "Even though you betrayed me and my father; betrayed our trust in you. Even though you jumped away on some frakked up mission on the behest of a woman who thinks she is some kind of savior! You chose her over ME!"

"No, Lee, I didn't," said Kara, desperately. "I was just trying to save us all. I never meant…"

"And to top it off," said Lee. "You decided to have a fling with the first guy who got close enough to you to let you know he had a hard-on for you!"

"I stopped myself," said Kara. "I'm sorry. I never…"

"I don't want to hear it," said Lee. "I can't believe I put up with you for so long! You're a slut! A dirty piece of trash! You're may be female, but you're sure as hell not a lady! You walk like a boy and you smell like a pig! If you weren't so good under the sheets, I would have dumped you long ago!"

Kara began crying. Lee walked over and grabbed Kara between her legs. "This is all you are! You're a CUNT!"

Kara tried to fight her way away from Lee, and let out a scream. Just as she did, she woke up in the same bed. Lee was gone. It had all been a dream.

"Kara," said a familiar voice.

Kara woke up once again, for real this time, resting down on the floor of a ship. It was the Heavy Raider Sharon stole from her fellow Cylons; the one she used to help Helo and the Resistance rescue Kara from that Farm. She shivered at the memory of her experiences in there, and a dream she had while in a drugged sleep in that place had haunted her sleep even now.

"I'm okay," said Kara, coming back to full consciousness. Helo helped her stand up.

"You sure?" asked Helo. "You didn't look like you were sleeping soundly."

"I was dreaming," said Kara. "That's all."

"About the Farm?" asked Helo.

"After a fashion," said Kara. "So, that nap you made me take was really recuperative," she added sarcastically. "You been keeping an eye on the toaster as she flies this thing?"

"Yeah," said Helo. "We're just about to make our final jump to Kobol. I just hope the fleet's waiting for us like you said they would be."

"If all went well with the President's plan," said Kara.

"And if not?" asked Helo.

"Then we're frakked," said Kara.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Lee stood behind the communications console on the bridge of the Astral Queen. Ever since coming on board this ship with the President, then jumping to Kobol with the portion of the fleet she had convinced to join her crusade, he had spent little time anywhere else on board. The President had asked Lee to help her speak to the Quorum members on board, but Lee told the President that she would have to handle things politically. Lee had little time or inclination to help Roslin further right now, at least until Kara was back with him. In pursuit of that hope, Lee stood and waited for a sign that Kara had succeeded and managed to get to Kobol. It had been several days since they jumped here, and still no word.

"Captain," said the voice of the man sitting at the dradis console. "We have dradis contact. Ship just jumped into the system and is closing on the fleet."

"I'll inform Mr. Zarek," said one of Tom Zarek's men, as he headed out the door.

"Tell the President as well," said Lee, to the man as he left.

A minute or two later, both Zarek and President Roslin came onto the bridge. "What's going on?" asked Roslin.

"We have dradis contact," said Lee. "We still don't know who it is."

"It doesn't match the configuration of Lt. Thrace's Cylon raider," said one of the men at the consoles.

"Could be a Raptor scout from Galactica?" asked Zarek. "We should take it out."

They began to debate the issue, but all discussion of what to do was interrupted by a voice that came over the comm. channel. "This is Starbuck. Can anyone hear me?"

Lee heard the voice and looked at the speaker broadcasting the voice into the room. He stood there speechless, as the sound of Kara's voice washed over Lee like a wave of cool water, providing instant relief to what seemed like an eternity of tension.

"Can anyone hear me?" asked Kara. "Hello? Hello?"

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Lee stood with the others and waited for someone to walk out of the landing bay hatch. He somehow knew the first person off would be Kara, and he waited with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation at the thought that in just a few moments, he would see her. Part of him wanted to scream at her for jumping away to Caprica and worrying him sick over her safety. The other half wanted to pull her into his arms and never let her go. Lee really didn't know which he would do until he saw her.

He heard the hatch open, and then a few moments later, she stepped into view. Lee was startled at first by her appearance. She looked like she had been through hell. Her face was slightly bruised, her hair was pulled back but slightly disheveled, and it looked like she has lost some weight. But through all of that, she was still his Kara, and in Lee's eyes, she was beautiful.

00000

Kara turned and looked at the crowd of people waiting to greet her as she exited the landing bay of the Astral Queen. But despite the crowd of onlookers, she only saw one person. Lee was here, waiting for her to return.

"Gods, I've missed him," she thought, as her eyes beheld her husband's handsome features. Ever since she first met him, Kara felt that Lee was the most handsome man she had ever seen in her life, and even though it looked like Lee needed a shave and a shower, he was still a sight for her sore eyes.

But Kara didn't know what to do; didn't know whether Lee was there to greet her or berate her for what she did. Was he going to welcome her back, or dress her down and thrown his wedding ring in her face for betraying him? She didn't approach him. Instead, she stood and waited to see what he would do.

00000

Lee saw Kara freeze in her tracks. She stood looking right at him, and Lee recognized her expression. To most, it would have seemed that Kara was just standing motionless for no apparent reason. But Lee knew Kara's moods, just by the look in Kara's beautiful eyes. Her eyes said to him that she was uncertain, even frightened, by her reunion with him.

"She must think that I'm upset with her," thought Lee. "Maybe I am a little, but she's back and that's all that matters."

Lee approached Kara with strong, purposeful steps, and pulled her into his arms. As soon as Kara figured out what Lee was doing, she flung herself into Lee's embrace, and held on tight as Lee held onto her just as forcefully.

They didn't say anything at first. Instead, they just held onto one another for dear life. They didn't care about anything else in the universe in that moment, except that they were holding one another. For the first time since Kara left for Caprica, Lee felt relief from his anguish over her safety and Kara felt safe from all that might harm her.

Lee cupped Kara's face, and brushed away a stray her from her eyes. She was smiling at him. He kissed her passionately on the lips. As they broke the kiss, Kara chuckled slightly.

"Good to see you, too, Captain," she said, as she kissed him back just as meaningfully as he kissed her.

"I should be throwing you in the brig right now," said Lee, after enjoying Kara's kiss.

"Yeah, well, you can confine me to quarters, as long as you're with me," said Kara.

Someone coughed off to the side, and both Lee and Kara looked over at the source of the noise. "Oh yeah, the President and entourage," thought Lee. But he refused to let go of Kara, as she turned to greet the President.

"Lieutenant," said President Roslin, warmly.

Kara took Roslin's outstretched hand, having to turn with Lee's arms refusing to release her. As the knowledge of where they were came back to Kara, she remembered something important.

"Lee, there's something I have to tell you," said Kara.

But before she could, someone stepped out of the landing bay hatch, and came into view of the assembled crowd. It was Sharon, walking slowly into view. Kara was still in Lee's arms as he saw who it was coming into view. As soon as he saw Sharon, Kara could feel Lee's muscle tense up. She looked at his face, and saw a look of pure rage come across his features.

Lee let go of her and ran straight at Sharon. The latter tried to back up, but the shock delayed her long enough to give Lee a clear chance to grab her by her jacket and fling her against a nearby support post. Lee's other hand pulled out his pistol from its holster and shoved the barrel of it into Sharon's cheek.

"LEE!" screamed Kara, running to him in a panic.

She looked back and forth between Lee and Sharon. The latter was clearly frightened, but the look on Lee's face scared Kara even more. She had never seen Lee so filled with anger and hatred in his life as his eyes bore into Sharon Valeri.

"Lee, calm down!" said Kara.

Just then, another person came running in from the landing bay. It was Helo, who ran up behind Lee and put a weapon to the back of Lee's head.

"Helo, DON'T!" yelled Kara.

"Drop your weapon, SIR!" said Helo, forcefully. "Drop your weapon!"

Kara stood in shock and fear, not knowing what was going on or what to do about it.

"Alright, everyone calm down and take a step back," said President Roslin, taking charge of the situation. "Captain Adama, and…I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name?"

"Lt. Karl Agathon," said Helo.

"He was Sharon's ECO," said Lee. "I thought you were dead, Helo. You a Cylon, too?"

"Don't even try…"

"Okay, you are both going to put your weapons down," said President Roslin. "We will talk about this. No one is shooting anyone here."

"What do you say, Captain?" asked Helo. "Should we do what the lady says?"

"That lady is the President of the Colonies, you moron!" said Lee. "And yes, we are going to do exactly what she says."

Lee and Helo both put down their guns and stepped away from Sharon. "Good," said Roslin. She then gestured to several men standing behind her. "Now put that THING out the airlock!"

The men rushed Sharon and grabbed her, dragging her out of room kicking and screaming more men held back Helo as he tried to stop them. Kara looked on helplessly as she was still paralyzed with uncertainty about how to respond to all of this. Lee, however, could not stand by silently as Helo protested the destruction of what the former saw as a dangerous machine.

"Hey, Helo! Listen to ME!" yelled Lee, after closing the distance with Helo and getting near the latter's face. "One of those THINGS shot my FATHER in the CHEST!"

"It wasn't ME!" yelled Sharon as they dragged her towards the hatchway.

"Adama was SHOT!" cried Kara, in disbelief.

Lee looked at Kara with a mixture of pain and anger in his eyes. "You missed a few catastrophes while you were away!"

"She did not only shoot the Commander," said Roslin. "She shot Captain Adama as well."

"Wha..what," said Kara, quietly looking at Lee.

He met her eyes, and shook his head. "I'm okay, just a few stitches in the shoulder," said Lee, trying to assuage her fear.

"You were shot?" asked Kara, now coming closer to Lee. "You…I just can't believe this!"

"Lieutenant, I know you are upset, but do you have the arrow?" asked Roslin.

Kara pulled out the arrow from its case, and handed it to the President without taking her eyes from Lee. She felt ashamed of herself for leaving Lee at a time when he needed her most.

"I can help you find the Tomb of Athena!" yelled Sharon, as she was finally dragged out of the room.

Surprisingly, a few moments later, Roslin ordered someone to go and stop the men from disposing of Sharon. She felt that Sharon might have some information that could help them, and didn't want to take the chance of losing it.

Eventually, everyone left the room except for Lee and Kara. They stood there, looking at one another for a few moments, not knowing what to say. Finally, Lee broke the silence.

"Welcome home," he said. "Though you really should have left the trash on Caprica."

End of Chapter Thirty. Chapter Thirty-One coming soon.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter Thirty-One:**

They made their way through the corridors of the Astral Queen until they reached a door that led to a small room. It had belonged to one of the officers on the Astral Queen before Zarek's men took it over. Zarek allowed the President to use one of them, and Lee to use the other as a gesture of "hospitality" to his "honored guests." Lee didn't buy Zarek's new role as host, but at the moment, Lee was grateful for somewhere private where he could talk to Kara.

Kara filled Lee in on Helo's relationship with the other Sharon, and the claim that Sharon was pregnant with Helo's child. Kara also told the story about how she found the Arrow of Apollo, and how she ran into Helo and Sharon.

"So, I manage to come home with the Cylon that shot my husband and my father-in-law," said Kara, in a self-deprecating tone. "Kara Thrace fraks up again."

Lee immediately pulled Kara to him. "It's not your fault," said Lee. "None of it. I don't blame you."

"You should," said Kara. "You were facing the biggest crises of your life, and your wife was the cause of a lot of them. And she was off chasing after some frakking arrow, as you were being shot…"

"Kara, I'm not going to pretend to be pleased about your field trip to Caprica," said Lee. "But none of what happened while you were away was your fault. I will NOT let you take the weight of the world on your shoulders. Save some of the burden for the rest of us."

"Is the other Sharon dead?" asked Kara

"Yes," said Lee. "Good riddance."

"This one helped to save my life," said Kara. "But knowing what the other one did…"

"Wait, back up," said Lee. "Saved your life? What happened? What do you mean saved your life?"

Kara looked away from Lee for a moment. She didn't know how to tell him what happened to her. Lee could tell that Kara was apprehensive about something, but he also knew that he couldn't press Kara to tell him what it was. She would have to come to the decision to tell him on her own. Instead, Lee waited while Kara gathered her thoughts.

"Lee, while I was on Caprica, I was captured by the Cylons," said Kara, her voice quiet and guarded as she began recounting her story to Lee. "I didn't know I was at first. They shot me with some kind of dart that knocked me out. I woke up in a hospital…clinic, whatever you want to call it. There was a Doctor there who told me I was wounded, and that they were treating me. They said the Resistance brought me there."

"Resistance?" interrupted Lee. "There's a resistance movement?"

"Yes," said Kara, thinking about Sam Anders. She was still ashamed of herself for almost sleeping with him, but Kara decided to save that confession for later. "They helped us escape from Caprica."

"You can tell me about that later. You were saying."

"Yeah," said Kara. "Well, I was drugged most of the time, but I figured out that something wasn't right when he called me by my call sign. I never told him that. So, I pinched the IV they had hooked up to me, and managed to keep awake long enough to get out of bed and leave the room. I saw a woman talking to the Doctor about me, about whether my tests were good or something. I recognized the woman as a Cylon model I had encountered before. The same one I fought for the arrow. That's when I realized the Doctor must be a Cylon, too."

"What did they mean by 'test'?" asked Lee.

Kara looked down. "I don't know," she said. "All I know is that they did something to me." She lifted up her shirt and revealed the bandaged wound. She looked up at Lee. "I do think I have an idea what they had in store for me though if I hadn't gotten out of there. While I was still in that room, the Doctor gave me a pelvic exam."

"What the frak for!" asked Lee, his concern over where this was leading growing with each passing moment.

"I didn't know at the time," said Kara. "But the Doctor kept talking about healthy women being able to have healthy children, and that I was healthy in that regard. The exam and the remarks didn't become significant to me until I escaped. Before I got out of there, I found a room in that hospital." Kara became quiet for a moment. Her control was starting to break. Lee moved to put his arms around her, but Kara pushed him away. "No," she said. "If you do that, I won't get through this without breaking down. The room. The Cylons had all of these captured women, hooked up to machines there. They were…breeding them with Cylons. Those women were raped and used as incubators for Cylon children."

"What?" asked Lee, in disbelief.

"Sharon called those places Farms," said Kara. "The Cylons have set them up all over the Colonies."

"You mean they were going to do that to you?" asked Lee, the anger boiling in his voice.

"Probably," said Kara. "Gods only know. Luckily, the Resistance helped me get out of there. With Sharon's support and assistance."

Kara sat down on the nearby cot, emotionally exhausted from the ordeal of reliving her experience. Lee sat down beside her, and took her hand in his.

"Kara, I don't know what to say," said Lee. "I mean, I thought I had been through a lot these past couple of weeks, but…what happened to you, I mean. I thought I couldn't hate the Cylons more for what they did to our people, but…what they did to you…or were going to do."

Kara hung her head down, exhausted both from the strain she had been under on Caprica and the emotional toll it took for her to recount her story.

"Kara, are you sure you're okay?" asked Lee.

"No," said Kara. "I'm sure of almost anything anymore. But there is something you can do for me."

"What?" asked Lee.

Kara looked at Lee, as tears began to fall from her eyes. Then, quietly, she said two words. "Hold me."

Lee instantly pulled Kara into his arms. She sobbed against Lee's chest, as his strong and loving embrace engulfed her. 

"I'm just spent, Lee," Kara said, through the sobs. "I'm so tired."

"Shh," said Lee. "It's over for now. Just let it out. I'm here. I love you, Kara."

"I love you, too. Just make it all go away for a little while," said Kara. "The war, the death, the Cylons. Just make it stop for a while."

After a while, Lee gently stroked Kara's cheek, and kissed the top of her head. "Kara, I promise you," he began with a voice of determined fury, "no one will EVER harm you AGAIN! I'll see to that!"

Kara looked up into Lee's eyes. She saw the determination and protectiveness in his features, and loved him for it, but knew he wasn't being realistic. "Lee, you can't make that promise. We live dangerous lives, both of us. I mean, we always did, even before the war. Being a fighter pilot is a dangerous job. Now, with the war….Lee, you can't protect me from everything. I can take care of myself. Well, most of the time. I love you for wanting to protect me, but someday a situation might come along where I will be harmed. You can't prevent that, no matter how much you want to."

"It's just that you have been through so much in your life," said Lee. "I want to make it stop."

"But you can't," said Kara. "Just like I would love to protect you, but I can't. You were shot, and all I can think was that I wasn't here for you."

"You couldn't have prevented that," said Lee. "And you do a pretty good job of watching my back. You always have."

"And I know you'll do your best to watch my back," said Kara. "But you can't promise me I'll never be hurt again."

Lee sighed in frustration, and pulled her tighter against him. "When did you become so wise?"

Kara chuckled, despite her exhaustion. "Kara Thrace, wise" she said. "Who would've thought?"

"I would've," said Lee. "You're as smart as they come."

"Not all the time," said Kara, remembering a time not so long ago when she almost made a huge mistake. She was reluctant to tell Lee about it, relishing the warmth of his arms around her. Kara feared the confession would cause him to reject her, just as her nightmare predicted. But Lee deserved her honesty.

"Lee, I almost did something I'm not very proud of," said Kara. "And since we're having this emotional heart-to-heart, I'd better go ahead and get it out in the open."

"Okay," said Lee, apprehensively.

"Lee, I met a guy on Caprica," said Kara. "His name is Sam. He's with the resistance."

"Okay," said Lee, loosening his arms around Kara, and obviously not liking where this is going.

"He was…attractive, and I…"

Lee bolted up from the bed, and turned to stare at Kara with a look of anger. "Oh, FRAK, Kara, you didn't!"

"I almost did, yes," said Kara.

"Gods, DAMMIT," said Lee, bringing his hands to his forehead, and letting out a huge grunt of frustration. "Why the frak is it that every time we are having problems, you run straight to the next good looking smart-ass you run into?"

"Last time, you broke it off with me, remember," said Kara.

"Fine," said Lee. "But THIS time! What did I do, Kara? Huh? What did I do this time to cause you to jump into bed with another guy?"

"Almost," said Kara.

"Oh, great, almost," said Lee. "The fact that you ALMOST frakked another guy, despite all we have been through to be together, just boggles my mind!"

Kara got up and walked over to Lee, trying to put her arms around his waist. Lee let her do it, but his arms remained by his side. "Lee, it was my fault. My own insecurities are my worst enemy sometimes. I was so sure you would hate me after taking off to Caprica. Most people in my life have thought of me as some kind of screw up, especially in the personal department. I have always felt that I would do something someday that would make you turn away from me, and I thought that had happened. Sam was attractive and available and…I just…there was this part of me that said 'Lee will never want you again, so look for pleasure where you can find it.' But as I started to…as we started to…well, let's just say before we got our clothes off, I realized how stupid I was being. If I had screwed things up with you, then I'd have to face it. I had to know for sure before I wrote off what we had. And even if you did reject me, there was always a chance I could somehow win you back."

Lee didn't say anything, but he looked like he was calming down. "Lee," said Kara. "I hate talking about my feelings, you know that, and I've done more of it in the past little while than I have most of my life. So, if you are going to…"

Lee interrupted Kara by kissing her gently on the lips. She was startled at first, but finally returned the kiss. They exchanged gentle, soft kisses for a few moments, before Lee finally spoke.

"Kara, I forgive you," said Lee. "At least your not pregnant with his love child or anything."

Kara smiled. "If I'm ever going to be pregnant with anyone's child, it will be yours. At least you can joke about my latest screw up. That's a good sign, I suppose."

Lee pulled Kara back into his arms, and kissed her once again. "Kara, I know why you have the insecurities you do, but you can't feel like I'm going to throw you away every rough patch we hit. Truth is, I was never angry with you when you left for Caprica. I was angry with the President, my father, the whole world, but not you. Then, the whole world went mad, and…"

"Shh," said Kara, putting her finger gently to Lee's lips. She kissed him this time, once on the cheek and once on the lips. "We'll put things right again. Together. We always do better together anyway."

"Yeah," said Lee. "We do. Look, we are probably going to be leaving for Kobol soon, so why don't you get some rest."

"Lee, I'm exhausted, but I don't think I can sleep," said Kara. "Unless you stay with me."

A knock at the door, turned their attention away from one another for a few moments. "Yes," said Lee, loud enough to be heard from outside.

"Captain, the President would like to see you as soon as you are available," said a man's voice from the other side of the door.

Lee looked at Kara, who hung her head slightly with disappointment. Lee only smiled at Kara, then spoke to the man on the other side of the door. "Tell the President I'm going to be a while. I have other duties to attend to."

Kara looked up and smiled, then kissed Lee gently on the lips.

"But Captain…" began the man.

"You heard him!" yelled Kara. "Now get the frak out of here before I come out there and bust your jaw!"

"Two hours," said Lee. "I'll be there in two hours." Then, he kissed Kara, and smiled at her. "That's my Kara."

Lee then led Kara towards the nearby bunk. He lay down on the bunk, and Kara joined him. She laid half on top of Lee, resting her head on his chest as he wrapped his arm around her.

"Sleep now, Kara," said Lee. "I'll watch over you."

"I love you, Lee."

"I love you, too."

End of Chapter Thirty-One. Chapter Thirty-Two coming soon. As always, feedback/reviews are welcomed and appreciated.


	32. Chapter 32

**Author's Notes: I am so sorry it took me this much time to get the update posted to this story. Real life has been taking up so much of my time lately that fan fiction has had to descend down my list of priorities. Thanks for being patient, and here is the update, which is, sadly, the last chapter. Although, a companion story may be in the works sometime in the future. Look for further explanation after the story concludes.**

**Chapter Thirty-Two:**

The events on Kobol seemed to bring some kind of order back to everyone's lives. At least, the most order one can find being on the run from a race of robotic life forms that want to kill you. But now, those on the run had a definite direction to go in to find Earth, and the family that had been broken when the chaos began had been brought back together, as had the fleet.

A day after their return to the Galactica, Lee and Kara walked towards the Commander's quarters, having been summoned there by the Old Man for a talk. When they came into the room, the Commander was standing behind his desk waiting for them.

"Have a seat," said Adama, motioning for them to sit on the couch.

Lee and Kara sat side-by-side, nervously waiting to hear what the Commander had to say. The latter leaned against his desk and looked at the young couple; two people he loved very much, but had been distant from for what seemed like an eternity.

"So, here we are," said Adama.

"Yeah," said Kara.

"Yes," said Lee.

"This is an awkward moment," said Adama. "I know we haven't had much of a chance to talk, but I wanted to clear the air about some things. By all rights, both of you should be in the brig right now. You Kara for stealing a military asset and deserting your post during a time of war. You lee for suborning mutiny on board my ship by arranging that little brig break for Roslin." Adama got quiet, and let those first words sink in. Lee and Kara waited patiently, but hesitantly, to hear what the Commander would say next. "But then again," continued Adama. "I guess I should be in the brig, too, for taking up arms against the civilian government. I don't think the fleet would do so well with the three of us in jail."

"The family that goes to jail together sticks together," quipped Kara.

"At least I could keep an eye on you two," said Adama.

The three of them chuckled. "You know," said Adama. "I ordered the two of you to not marry because I felt it would get in the way of your duty. It would upset the good order of this ship. But it seems that since I gave that order, it has only promoted mutiny, disobedience of orders, and chaos on this ship. If I had let the two of you marry to begin with, maybe a lot of this wouldn't have happened."

"So you are rescinding your order to annul our marriage?" asked Lee.

"No," said Adama. "What has been done can't be undone. Plus, rescinding my order would show weakness of command, and would show support for violating orders."

"But you just admitted that keeping us apart was more trouble then letting us be together," said Kara, riled and ready for a fight. "Now you're saying that our marriage is still annulled. What the frak kind of logic is that?"

"Kara, calm down," said Lee, pulling her closer to him to ease her frustration.

"I'm not finished," said Adama. "The two of you are not married. The annulment stands. But that doesn't have to stay that way."

"What do you mean?" asked Lee.

"The two of you could marry again," said Adama, with a smile. "This time, publicly and with your CO's blessing."

Kara and Lee looked at one another, then at Adama. They chuckled, and Kara got up and hugged the Old Man.

"Thank you," said Kara.

"My pleasure," said Adama. "Its about time you became my daughter. But there is a request I would like to make. Even though you're my son, Lee, I also already feel that Kara is my daughter, and since its tradition for the father of the bride to give the daughter away at the wedding…"

Kara hugged Adama again, this time with tears forming in her eyes. "I would be the proudest bride in the world, sir," said Kara. "If you would walk me down the aisle."

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Lee Adama and Kara Thrace were married once again, this time publicly in a ceremony held in the open-air park on the Rising Star. The simulated sunshine highlighted the beauty of the occasion. William Adama proudly led Kara down the aisle, and handed her over to his son. A priest conducted the ceremony, while a large audience of friends and colleagues looked on. The two of them repeated the vows they had taken before, and were officially re-married. Of course, to the beleaguered couple, they're previous marriage had never been annulled. This was simply a public pronouncement of what they already shared.

Now, two years later, the marriage that some predicted wouldn't last was still going strong, despite the continued chase from the cylons and the changes in their lives. Lee was now commanding a battlestar of his own, the Pegasus, after a series of circumstances brought him to command the ship known as "the Beast." As for Kara Thrace Adama, she was now a Major and in command of all flight training and flight activity for the fleet. She is stationed aboard the Pegasus, where most training takes place, but reports directly to the promoted Admiral William Adama, and coordinates with the CAGs of both battlestars. When the cylons show up, Kara commands the combined fighter squadrons of both ships as her husband and father-in-law commanded the two battlestars. The command quarters on the Pegasus had recently gone through the remodeling, adding an extra room for the new addition to family that arrived the day before.

Marcus William Adama was the one-day-old baby now sleeping in his mother's arms, as she lay in Galactica's sickbay. It was by chance that the baby was born there. Kara had been delivering a report to the Admiral when her water broke, and the old man led her to the sick bay with a huge smile on his face. Old crewmates of Kara's clapped and cheered as she was led to the sick bay, but she only looked at them with a scowl because of her mixture of humiliation of being seen in such a weak moment by so many, and because of the intense pain caused by her contractions. It had been hard enough for people to see her waddle around the battlestars, performing her duties right up to the baby's due date.

Kara looked at the baby in wonder, and smiled as she thought about how beautiful he is. "My perfect little man," she whispered, as she kissed his forehead gently so as not to wake him.

Lee stood at the entrance of the sick bay and just looked at them. He had to leave to check in with Pegasus CIC, but he returned as quickly as he could to be with his wife and son. But when he got back, all he could do is stare in wonder at his beautiful wife holding their son. After some time had passed, Kara looked over at the door and smiled.

"You ever gonna come in here, or you just gonna stand their like some tourist," she said.

Lee walked over, and Kara looked back and forth between her husband and son. She thought on how Lee was such a handsome man, who carried himself with a proud and self-assured bearing. Kara hoped that her son inherited those qualities from Lee, along with his other good qualities that made him the only man she has ever loved.

"What have you two been up to?" asked Lee, as he sat in the chair next to the bed, and kissed Kara gently on the lips.

"Well, little Mark is taking a nap," she said. "And I just got finished saying a prayer to the gods, thanking them for all that I have in my life." She then sniffed slightly. "Lee, you smell like cigar smoke. Are you trying to torture me, knowing I haven't had a stogie in months?"

Lee chuckled. "Sorry," said Lee. "Dad was passing them on in the CIC. You never saw a funnier sight. Him, Tigh, Gaeta, and a bunch of the bridge personnel standing around smoking cigars. The room smelled like the rec room after one of our triad games. That man is one very proud grandpa."

"I've never seen him so…well, I guess the only word I can describe is giddy," said Kara, chuckling. "Who would've thought anyone would use the word 'giddy' and William Adama's name in one sentence?"

"Yeah," said Lee. "We've got a lot to be thankful for."

"Speaking of," said Kara. "Have you said a prayer of thanks yet?"

Lee got quiet for a moment. He had never been a very religious person, although his wife had been trying to influence him to seek a stronger connection with the gods. It was one of the few pious things about her. Mostly, it hadn't worked, but on this occasion, Lee decided that a prayer would be appropriate. It just so happened he had a prayer in mind.

"You know," said Lee. "My father gave me something last night, before he left here to go to bed. My Dad and I are alike in the way that we both aren't very religious. But when I was born and Zak was born, he told me about this prayer he said to the gods on both occasions. It was one he found in one of his history books. The prayer was written by a general on the occasion of the birth of his son."

Lee pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. "The prayer is written here. Do you have your idols?"

"In the box," said Kara, pointing to the small table by the bed.

Lee took out the idols and put them on the table. He then took the baby gently from Kara, and held him in his arms as he kneeled in front of the idols. The prayer was laid out on the table by the idols. Lee looked at the prayer, then at his son, and spoke the words to the gods.

"Build me a son, O Lords of Kobol, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, but humble and gentle in victory."

"Build me a son whose wishes will not replace his actions, a son who will know Thee and know that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge. Send him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but in the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here let him learn to stand up in the storm; here let him learn compassion for those who fall."

"Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goal will be high... a son who masters himself before he seeks to master others. One who will learn to laugh. yet never forget how to weep; One who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past."

"And after all these things are his, this I pray, enough sense of humor that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength."

"Then I, his father, will dare to whisper, 'I have not lived in vain.'"

After finishing the prayer, Lee gently placed the baby back into Kara's arms. Tears were running down her face, hearing Lee speak those beautiful words to the gods, asking them to protect and guide their son. Lee lay down on the bed next to them, and placed his arms around Kara and his hands on their son. Through all that could have gone wrong; through all that did go wrong, this little family managed to blossom in a field of trials and tribulations. Two people who once spared over a card game and challenged one another to a duel of sorts in the sky now shared a life together, secure that their love would help them beat the odds.

The End

Author's Notes:

The prayer read by Lee was an actual prayer written by U.S. General Douglas MacArthur on the occasion of the birth of his son, Arthur. Of course, I modified the part that says "Build me a son, Oh Lord" to "Lords of Kobol" to accommodate the religious differences.

I may decide to go back and fill in the gap in time between Lee's and Kara's second marriage and the birth of their son with a companion story at some later date, but as for now the story is finished. Thank you all who have read and kept up with this story. As always, feedback/reviews are welcomed and appreciated.


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